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Man airlifted from Mount Fuji rescued 2nd time after returning days later to grab his phone

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Published  April 29, 2025 11:58am EDT
World
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FILE - Mount Fuji and the Shinjuku skyline in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Brief

    • A student was rescued twice from Japan’s Mount Fuji after developing altitude sickness.
    • The 27-year-old returned four days after his first rescue to try and find his phone and other belongings that got left behind. 
    • There is no charge to be rescued, but the case prompted an uproar on social media and generated calls for him to be charged, at least for his second rescue.

A man was rescued via airlift twice on Japan’s Mount Fuji after developing altitude sickness. 

The 27-year-old Chinese student attempted the climb first on April 22, but was airlifted after developing symptoms of altitude sickness, police said, adding that his climbing irons were also damaged.

But four days later he returned to the trail – looking for his phone and other belongings left behind, Shizuoka prefectural police said.

Another climber found him there, unable to move after he apparently developed altitude sickness for a second time, police said.

The other side:

There is no charge or penalty when a climber needs to be rescued, but the Chinese student's case prompted an uproar on social media and generated calls for him to be charged, at least for his second rescue.

Mount Fuji, Japan

By the numbers:

Mount Fuji is 12,388 feet high and was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2013.

The man was rescued from the mountain’s Fujinomiya trail, which is nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. 

Big picture view:

A symbol of Japan, the mountain called "Fujisan" used to be a place of pilgrimage and is increasingly popular among hikers today.

The mountain's hiking trails are officially open only from July to early September, but there is no penalty for hiking off-season.

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Local perspective:

To control overcrowding and risks from rushed overnight climbing through rocky slopes to see the sunrise, local authorities last year introduced an entry fee and cap on the number of entrants on the most popular trail and will introduce similar rules on other main trails this year.

The Source: Information in this article was taken from Japanese officials, the Shizuoka prefectural police, as reported by The Associated Press. Background information about Mount Fuji was also taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit. 

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