Man rescued twice from Japan's Mount Fuji had returned to search for his cellphone

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 2:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

A climber airlifted with altitude sickness adjacent the highest of Japan's Mount Fuji past week returned to the slope and was rescued for a 2nd clip conscionable 4 days later, authorities said Monday.

Officials urged radical to beryllium alert of the harsh conditions astatine the country's tallest highest during its off-season.

The climber was identified lone arsenic a 27-year-old Chinese pupil surviving successful Japan. He made an exigency telephone connected April 22 and was airlifted aft processing symptoms of altitude sickness, constabulary said, adding that his climbing irons besides were damaged.

Last Saturday, helium returned to the mountain's Fujinomiya way astir 3,000 metres above oversea level to look for his cellphone and different belongings near behind, Shizuoka prefectural constabulary said. Another climber recovered him determination incapable to determination aft helium seemingly developed altitude sickness for a 2nd time, constabulary said.

No penalty, adjacent for off-season rescues

The mountain's hiking trails are officially unfastened lone from July to aboriginal September, but determination is nary punishment for hiking off-season. There besides is nary complaint oregon punishment erstwhile a climber needs to beryllium rescued, but the student's lawsuit prompted an uproar connected societal media and generated calls for him to beryllium charged, astatine slightest for his 2nd rescue.

The Shizuoka constabulary urged each climbers to usage caution, noting that the upland has debased temperatures and is covered successful snowfall adjacent successful spring.

The 3,776-metre-high upland was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage tract successful 2013. A awesome of Japan, the upland called "Fujisan" utilized to beryllium a spot of pilgrimage and is progressively fashionable among hikers today.

To power overcrowding and risks from rushed overnight climbing done rocky slopes to spot the sunrise, section authorities past twelvemonth introduced an introduction interest and headdress connected the fig of entrants connected the astir fashionable way and volition present akin rules connected different main trails this year.