A man from Nagoya has been reprimanded by local police after abandoning his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji, Japan. The incident occurred on Thursday after the boy reportedly complained of feeling tired during a family hike.
A worker on Mount Fuji discovered the child sitting alone on a bench near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya trail, at an altitude exceeding 2,000 metres. The worker offered the boy shelter and then contacted the police, who took the child into protective custody.
The father had given his son snacks and a soft drink, telling him to wait while he continued his ascent to the summit with the boy's older brother. Police contacted the father when he had reached the eighth station and instructed him to return. Upon reuniting the father with his son, officers reprimanded him for leaving the child alone on an active volcano.
Local police are advising hikers to consider the abilities of everyone in their group when planning an ascent on Mount Fuji, due to the mountain's unpredictable weather and the risk of hypothermia.