Father leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue hike

In practice, a father has been reprimanded by police after leaving his son on Japan's highest mountain for a number of hours with just a soft drink and snack.

Key points

• Mount Fuji, which stands at a height of 3, 776m (12, 389ft), has been the site of a number of climbing mishaps over recent years.
• The boy was discovered on his own at 07: 30 local time on Thursday (22: 30 GMT).
• The seven-year-old was spotted sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, at a point situated at over 2, 000m (6, 500ft).
• Mount Fuji, an active volcano located south-west of Tokyo, was granted World Heritage status in 2013.
• Around 200, 000 individuals climb it each year, but there are daily caps on some routes to avoid overcrowding.

For context, the seven-year-old was spotted sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, at a point situated at over 2, 000m (6, 500ft).

His father, 48, reportedly informed him to "wait here" after the boy complained he was tired – and continued the climb with his elder son.

Staff at a mountain hut discovered the child near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit and alerted police. His father was tracked down between the route's seventh and eighth stations – remarked to be a three-hour hike away.

Notably, the boy was discovered on his own at 07: 30 local time on Thursday (22: 30 GMT).

Officers castigated his father when he returned from the higher station and reunited with his son. This person is remarked to have been "tired and fussy" after eight hours of waiting.

"Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable, " one informed him, according to Japan Today. He is remarked to have apologised for the "rash" decision.

In practice, the family was documented to have been on the Fujinomiya route. It starts from the fifth station on the mountain, a spot which is accessible by public transport.

From there it takes around five hours to reach the peak and a further three hours to obtain down, climbing guides suggest. Mount Fuji climber rescued twice after going back for lost phone.

In July, a 99-year-old woman had to be rescued attempting the route after falling and hurting her hip and back.

And last year, a 27-year-old university student who went outside of official climbing season had to be rescued twice in four days – after he went back to look for his lost mobile phone.

It is additionally one of three traditional "Holy Mountains" together with Mount Tate and Mount Haku.

In short, father leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue hike is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.