Hikers attempting to climb Mount Fuji during off-peak seasons will have to pay for emergency helicopter rescues if they get into trouble.
Authorities in Japan’s Yamanashi district have announced a number of measures to deter reckless and poorly prepared climbers.
The fee structures will be based on fuel costs of approximately 8,000 yen (£38) for every five minutes of helicopter operation, according to reports from NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. Officials are said to be considering expenses to be added to the fee.
On a clear day, Mount Fuji, which rises to 12,389 feet, is visible from the capital and its status means many visitors treat it as a must-see to tick off.
Mount Fuji is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Japan – AFP via Getty Images/Yuichi Yamazaki
Mount Fuji’s official climbing season runs from July to early September, with about 200,000 hikers attempting the summit each year.
However, climbing during the off-peak season is highly discouraged as facilities on the mountain are closed and weather conditions become a lot more severe.
In 2025, Japan recorded a new high in mountain emergencies across the country, with 3,623 people rescued, 299 deaths recorded and 33 people missing, according to National Police Agency data.
Under the new measures, any climber going above the sixth station – a point nearly 7,800ft above sea level on the Yoshida Trail – during the off-season must file a climbing plan beforehand.
Climbers who require rescue by a disaster-response helicopter after failing to submit a plan or deviating from the agreed plan will be charged.
There were 299 deaths on mountains recorded across Japan in 2025, while a further 33 people went missing – AFP via Getty Images/Yuichi Yamazaki
Kotaro Nagasaki, Yamanashi governor, said: “I strongly urge people not to climb Mount Fuji [during the offseason].
“I want people to think about those who have to go and rescue them. This is a matter of common sense. Please spare a thought for those who are called out to carry out rescues at the risk of their own lives, and for the worry that this causes their families.”
The neighbouring prefecture Shizuoka that manages three of the four paths to the top of Mount Fuji will impose penalties on people who fail to register their off-season climbing attempts and strengthen efforts to keep climbers out of restricted areas, but did not announce a helicopter rescue fee.
The measures are scheduled to take effect in September 2027.
Naoki Kobayashi, an official with the Shizuoka prefectural government, said the main cause of accidents on the mountain was “a lack of basic knowledge of the climb or a failure to properly prepare”.
After a series of recent off‑season incidents, Hidetada Sudo, mayor of Fujinomiya – one of the main gateway towns to Mount Fuji that operates and funds local rescue teams – publicly called for a blanket ban on climbing the mountain outside the recognised summer window.
Mr Sudo later backed away from demanding an outright ban, but called for hikers to be forced to pay for emergency evacuations.
Yamanashi will not be the first prefecture to make climbers pay for helicopter rescues.
In 2018, Saitama Prefecture began charging for rescues by its helicopters in designated mountainous areas where rescue operations are considered particularly dangerous.
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AloJapan.com