World

Yamanashi Imposes Helicopter Rescue Fees for Off‑Season Mount Fuji Climbers

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

From next year, climbers who attempt Mount Fuji during the off‑peak season and need helicopter rescue will be charged for the service, Yamanashi prefecture officials said. The fee, modeled after a similar 8,000‑yen ($51) charge in Saitama prefecture, is part of a broader set of measures aimed at discouraging poorly prepared or reckless ascents. Yamanashi authorities will also require detailed climbing plans for any off‑season attempt, which runs from early September to July of the following year. Governor Kotaro Nagasaki urged the public to avoid climbing during this period, hoping the new rules will make people reconsider winter ascents. Officials in Yamanashi and neighboring Shizuoka, which governs the southern part of Fuji, have noted a rise in unplanned off‑season climbs, some of which have left climbers stranded. Shizuoka plans to impose penalties on those who do not register their off‑season climbs and to strengthen efforts to keep climbers out of restricted areas, though it did not announce a rescue fee. Mount Fuji’s official climbing season is from July to early September, with about 200,000 hikers each year. Climbing outside those months is discouraged, though permitted up to the fifth of ten stations; most huts and toilets are closed off season, and weather and trail conditions are typically harsher.