While the overall number of hiking and mountain-climbing incidents in Japan fell in 2024, there were notable rises among climbers of Mount Fuji and Mount Takao, which are popular with tourists.
In 2024, there were 2,946 hiking and mountain-climbing incidents in Japan, down 180, or 5.8% year on year. These involved 3,357 people, which is 211, or 5.9%, less than the previous year. The number of dead or missing among hikers and mountain climbers totaled 300, down by 35 compared to 2023, while the number of injured decreased by just 10, to 1,390 in total. Around half of those involved in hiking and mountain-climbing incidents were rescued without any harm, while 40% suffered injuries and 10% died or went missing.
In the early 2010s, the number of hiking and mountain-climbing incidents was below 2,000, but since then the trend has been steadily upward—with the exception of a temporary drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. The upward trend seems to reflect the growing popularity of outdoor activities and the increase in the number of climbers.
In 2024, 135 foreign visitors to Japan were involved in a total of 99 hiking and mountain-climbing incidents, which including seven people who died or went missing. This is the second highest figure since statistics were first kept in 2018.
“Getting Lost” the Main Danger
Among those involved in mountain-related incidents, 79.7% were engaged in some form of mountain climbing—which includes hiking, backcountry skiing, and stream climbing—while 8.8% were foraging for wild plants or mushrooms.
The most common type of incident was related to getting lost, which occurred in 30.4% of the cases, followed by falling down (20.0%), slipping (17.2%), fatigue (10.2%), and illness (7.6%).
Among those involved in hiking and mountain-climbing incidents, 2,678 were 40 or older, making up 79.8% of the total, while 50% of all people involved or 1,677 people were 60 or older. Among the deceased or missing, 275 people were 40 or older, accounting for 91.7%, while 192 or 64.0% were 60 or older.
Rise in Incidents on Fuji and Takao
Nagano was the prefecture with the highest number of mountain-related incidents, at 321, followed by Hokkaidō, which had 189 incidents. Tokyo and Kanagawa each had 183 incidents. Popular tourist destinations in Japan such as Mount Fuji have been particular susceptible to hiking and mountain-climbing incidents. In 2024, 83 people were involved in incidents on Mount Fuji, which is 62% higher than the average over the past five years, while 131 people were involved in incidents on Mount Takao, a 52% increase compared to the average for the same period.
Data Sources
(Translated from Japanese. © Pixta.)
AloJapan.com