Der Bürgermeister der Stadt Fujiyoshida in der Präfektur Yamanashi erwägt in der Nebensaison für Rettungsoperationen auf dem Mount Fuji.

At a regular press conference on the 13th, Fujiyoshida City Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi stated his desire to „charge for“ the costs of mountain rescue operations on Mount Fuji during the off-season. He indicated his intention to request the prefecture and other relevant bodies to establish a system that requires those rescued to bear a certain level of personal expense.

Last month, on the Shizuoka Prefecture side of Mount Fuji, an incident occurred where a male Chinese university student in his twenties was rescued twice within a few days. In response, Fujinomiya City Mayor Hidetada Sudo expressed his strong opinion on the 9th of this month, stating that „rescue costs should be borne by those who are rescued.“

Mayor Horiuchi expressed his agreement with this view, pointing out, „Those who carry out the rescue operations risk their lives. There’s a noticeable trend of people casually requesting rescue via their smartphones as if they were calling a taxi.“ He emphasized his intention to collaborate with Shizuoka Prefecture and push for a system of personal responsibility for rescue costs.