Tokyo —
A man has been reprimanded by police for leaving his exhausted seven-year-old son waiting alone on Japan’s Mount Fuji while the family continued their hike.
According to CNN affiliate TV Asahi, the boy was found by a worker on Thursday sitting alone in a hut about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level, just above the halfway point of the country’s highest mountain. The incident was then reported to the police.
Police said the boy was hiking with his father and older brother and was told to wait there if he got “tired” and didn’t want to continue walking.
According to the report, he was asked to wait on a bench at the 6th station on the Fujinomiya trail while his father and older brother continued climbing.
When they returned five hours later, police were waiting for the boy, who was handed over to his father unharmed.
The officers warned the man he could face criminal charges, Japanese television said, adding that he had expressed remorse.
Climbers of the 12,388-foot (3,776-meter) volcano have suffered from altitude sickness in the past and had to be rescued. Mountain weather conditions can also be unpredictable.
Authorities have introduced new rules in recent years, including capping the number of climbers per day and requiring people to take a brief course on climbing safety.
