Japan has a problem on Mt Fuji: Who’s responsible for irresponsible climbers? Who will foot the bill?

Irresponsibility on the part of climbers has reached such a height that it has sparked a debate in Japan about whether the government should pay the rescue fees of people stranded on Mount Fuji anymore.

The world-renowned tourist spot has been witnessing an increase in people climbing Fuji despite warnings, annoying the local administration of the area. Hidetada Sudo, the mayor of the city of Fujinomiya in Shizuoka Prefecture, expressed anger over people’s defiance of rules and said that many are undermining the dangers of climbing the mountain.

“They are climbing on their own without listening (to warnings) and end up getting stranded. The cost of rescuing them is enormous — I think that such fees should be borne by those stranded. It’s their own responsibility.”

Currently, stranded tourists are not required to pay a dime after they are rescued, as the operation is paid for with tax revenues.

Sudo also noted that inexperienced climbers often fail to recognise the serious risks rescue teams face when saving stranded individuals, regardless of the situation, on the 3,776-meter-high mountain, where off-season conditions can be extremely hazardous.

Shigeru Horiuchi, mayor of the city of Fujiyoshida, agreed with Sudo, revealing that the cost of helicopters used to rescue people can go up to ¥600,000 and ¥800,000. “With the convenience of smartphones, I feel that there is an increasing tendency for people to call for help casually as if they were calling for a cab when they are stranded. As a way to warn climbers to not climb with naive assumptions, we should charge the rescue fees.”

Chinese man rescued from Fuji twice in a week

A man in his 20s was airlifted from Japan’s Mount Fuji then rescued again from its steep slopes just days later because he returned to find his phone, according to media reports.

Police told AFP the Chinese university student, who lives in Japan, was found Saturday by another off-season hiker on a trail more than 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) above sea level.

“He was suspected of having altitude sickness and was taken to hospital,” a police spokesman in the Shizuoka region said on Monday.

Later, officers discovered that the man was the same one who had been rescued on Mount Fuji four days previously, private broadcaster TBS and other media outlets reported.

Hikers to be charged

In March this year, local authorities passed a bill making it mandatory for hikers to pay a fee of 4,000 yen ($27) for attempting any of Mount Fuji’s four main trails.

Last year, Yamanashi region – home to Mount Fuji – introduced a 2,000 yen ($14) entry fee plus an optional donation for the active volcano’s most popular hiking route, the Yoshida Trail.

A cap on daily entries and online reservations were also brought in on that trail by officials concerned about safety and environmental damage on Fuji’s majestic slopes.

With inputs from agencies