Police have slammed a father who abandoned his seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji because the boy was too tired to continue climbing. Officers described the dad's behaviour as "unacceptable" after he left the youngster thousands of feet up the mountain to carry on alone.
Father left boy at 2,490m
The unnamed 48-year-old father, from Nagoya, took his two sons, aged seven and 12 or 13, to climb Japan's tallest mountain on Thursday, August 20. The trio were hiking the Fujinomiya Trail, one of the mountain's main routes, and had reached its sixth of 10 stations when the youngest boy said he was tired.
The stop sits 2,490m (8,170ft) above sea level. The father told the youngster to "wait there" and left him alone on the side of the mountain in the early hours of the morning, continuing his own climb with 1,286m (4,219ft) still to go.
Boy found by mountain worker
The boy was spotted by a mountain worker as weather conditions worsened, with rain and fog moving in. The worker invited him into a mountain hut near the station at around 7am. Police were called, and officers identified the father, contacted him, and ordered him to return to his child.
"Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable," officers reportedly told the father on his return. The boy was unharmed and safely reunited with his family, and the father received a stern telling off from officers.
Father expresses regret
The father is reported to have shown remorse, saying: "I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it." Following the incident, police called on hikers to be aware of the dangers of leaving anyone alone on the mountain, regardless of age, reminding them that the pace of an expedition should always be set by the weakest hiker.
