Japan is preparing to charge rescue fees to climbers who get into trouble while climbing Mount Fuji outside the official season and require them to submit detailed climbing plans, aiming to reduce reckless and unprepared tourist behavior.
Officials in Yamanashi Prefecture, responsible for the northern area of Mount Fuji, plan to tighten controls on off-season climbs by charging rescue fees to climbers who require helicopter assistance after accidents during the off-season. This measure will take effect starting next year.
This initiative is part of Yamanashi Prefecture's efforts to prevent reckless climbing and unprepared travel. Those wishing to climb Mount Fuji off-season will be required to submit detailed climbing plans to the authorities.
The official Mount Fuji climbing season runs from July to early September, while the off-season extends from early September through June of the following year.
Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, urged the public to avoid climbing Mount Fuji off-season and expressed hope that the new measures would raise awareness among winter climbers about the different and more challenging conditions compared to the regular season.
Meanwhile, Yamanashi authorities said they would use Saitama Prefecture’s rescue fees for other mountainous areas as a reference. Saitama charges 8,000 yen (approximately 1,700 baht) per every 5 minutes of rescue time. However, Yamanashi has not yet announced an official rescue fee rate for Mount Fuji.
The new measures come after officials in Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures, which manage opposite sides of Mount Fuji, observed an increase in off-season and unplanned climbs, with some climbers becoming stranded and requiring rescue.
Meanwhile, Shizuoka Prefecture plans to penalize those who fail to register their off-season climbs and will enhance measures to prevent climbers from entering restricted areas, though it has not announced whether helicopter rescue fees will be charged.
Although off-season climbs can still reach Station 5 out of 10 total stations on Mount Fuji, authorities strongly discourage it because most mountain lodges and restrooms are closed during this time. Weather and trail conditions are harsher and more dangerous than during the official climbing season. Currently, about 200,000 climbers ascend Mount Fuji annually during the official season.
Source:BBC
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