“I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it,” the father said of the incident on Thursday, Aug. 20
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A 7-year-old boy was left alone on Mount Fuji after complaining of fatigue during a hike
- The father, who continued hiking with his older son, later expressed regret for his decision
- Local police have warned against leaving children behind while hiking, citing unpredictable weather conditions on Mount Fuji
A father left behind his 7-year-old son during a five-hour trek up Mount Fuji.
At around 7:40 a.m. local time on Thursday, Aug. 20, a worker at a mountain hut alerted the police to a child sitting alone on a bench near the sixth station of Mount Fuji’s Fujinomiya trail, Japan Today and FNN reported, citing Shizuoka Prefectural Police (SPP) at Fujinomiya Police Station.
The police contacted the child’s father, a 48-year-old man from Nagoya City, Japan, who was near the trail’s eighth station having left his son behind in the middle of their hike, per the outlets.
According to Japan Today, the boy went hiking with his father and 12-year-old brother earlier that morning. At some point, he complained about feeling tired and was told by his father to “wait here” as he continued hiking with his older son.
Credit: Alamy
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Rain and fog were developing around the time the 7-year-old boy was found, per ABC 45. Authorities believe he was left behind at around 4:30 a.m. at the trail’s sixth station, approximately 8,202 feet above sea level, FNN reported.
He was unharmed and reunited with his father, who was later cautioned, per FNN. The father and child have not been publicly identified at this time.
“I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it,” the father said, per Japan Today.
Credit: Getty
Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations, with around 200,000 people climbing there every year. Its peak is around 12,000 feet and weather conditions vary from include rain, fog and wind, per Japan Travel and Fujisan Climb.
“The weather on Mount Fuji changes greatly depending on location and terrain,” the website Imafuji states. “…Please carefully observe your surroundings, such as the movement of clouds, the strength of the wind, and the color of the sky, and take safe and reasonable actions.”
Local police are urging the public not to leave anyone behind while hiking Mount Fuji.
“Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable,” the police said of the incident, per Japan Today.
PEOPLE has reached out to SPP for comment.
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