Father Criticized for Leaving 7-Year-Old Alone at 8,200-Foot Mount Fuji Hut

Police in Japan reprimanded a father after his seven-year-old son was discovered alone at a hut on Mount Fuji, about 8,200 feet above sea level. The boy had been hiking with his father and older brother when he became exhausted and was told to wait at the hut. A worker who saw the child alerted authorities, who arrived while the father and his other son were still on the trail. The child was found with snacks and a soft drink but no money, and he was returned to his father unharmed after about five hours. > "The father expressed remorse and was warned that he could face criminal liability," police said. The incident follows two fatalities on the mountain last month and follows new 2024 measures that introduced an entry fee and capped daily climber numbers to reduce overcrowding.