Japan scapegoats foreigners as mountain rescue numbers rise

On a clear summer morning at Mount Fuji’s fifth-station trailhead, the crowds look more beach ready than alpine prepared with canvas slip-ons, bare legs and…

On a clear summer morning at Mount Fuji’s fifth-station trailhead, the crowds look more beach ready than alpine prepared with canvas slip-ons, bare legs and lightweight jackets.

Above them, Japan’s most famous peak rises to 3,776 metres (12,389 feet) and into sub-zero temperatures, even in July.

For Tatsuo Nanai, a veteran climber and until recently secretary general of the Fuji‑san Club, the scene has become a source of dread.

Japan’s official climbing season has only just begun, but he says he is already “very worried” about the number of people who will need rescuing – and the lives that will be lost – before the trails close again in mid-September.

“Too many people underestimate Mount Fuji,” Nanai told This Week in Asia. “For anyone who takes it lightly, it can be very dangerous.”

Hikers make their way up Mount Fuji in 2024 as the summer climbing season was about to begin. Photo: Kyodo

Last year, Japan recorded a new high in mountain emergencies, with 3,623 people having to be rescued and 332 deaths, according to National Police Agency data.

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