Rules Tightened, Number Of Climbers Stranded On Mount Fuji Decreases

Mount Fuji's climbing route. (Wikimedia Commons/ Fabio Achilli)

JAKARTA - The number of climbers stranded on Mount Fuji while climbing from the side of Shizuoka Prefecture fell 44 percent compared to the previous year, without any reports of death, after stricter rules were enforced, according to local police.

Although the total number of climbers using the Fuji prefecture hiking trail this season from July to September remains high at around 84,000, only 36 people need help, down sharply from 64 people in the 2024 season, of which six died, they said, as reported by Kyodo News October 12.

Japan's highest mountain, which is located southwest of Tokyo, has recently been plagued by issues related to climbers, including people who carried out overnight "strengthening bullets" to reach a peak as high as 3,776 meters without sleep in the hut on the edge of the track.

There are also problems with climbers who carry minimal equipment or dress too casually, such as wearing Oblong T-shirts, shorts and sandals.

As part of efforts to prevent climbing carelessly, this prefecture doubles its entrance fee to 4,000 yen this year and prohibits visitors from entering the hiking trail between 14.00 and 03.00, unless they have booked mountain lodging.

A similar move has been implemented by Yamanashi Prefecture, which has one of the four climbing routes of Mount Fuji, while the rest begins in Shizuoka Prefecture. The Yamanashi region also experienced a significant decline in cases of mountain rescue after implementing these measures last year.

However, as these measures only apply during the climbing season, accidents have been reported outside of the season. The climbers include foreign tourists visiting during the closing season without the opportunity to climb mountains during the opening season, and local residents who make impulsive decisions to climb the summit, according to local authorities.

Three Japanese men in their 30s and 50s were found dead near the crater in June 2024, while a US citizen in his 60s was rescued after suffering from hypothermia this year when the mountain was still closed.

In April 2025, a Chinese male student was rescued from the mountain by helicopter after falling ill near the summit. Then, he was rescued again four days later due to poor health when he returned to the mountain trying to retrieve the smartphone he left.

The Shizuoka Prefectural Government is considering imposing fines and costs for deploying rescue helicopters to prevent reckless climbers.