Climbers who venture onto Mount Fuji outside the official climbing season from July to early September may have to cover the cost of helicopter rescue operations starting next year, the BBC reported, citing authorities in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture.
The measure will apply to the northern side of Mount Fuji, which falls under Yamanashi’s jurisdiction, and is part of a broader effort to discourage people from attempting the climb when conditions are more dangerous and mountain services are largely unavailable.
Authorities have not yet announced the exact cost of helicopter rescues. However, they are considering the system used in the neighboring Saitama prefecture, where rescue helicopter operations in mountainous areas are charged at about $51 for every five minutes of service.
Yamanashi also plans to introduce stricter requirements for people who decide to climb Mount Fuji outside the regular season. Climbers will be required to submit detailed plans before setting out.
Authorities in both Yamanashi and the Shizuoka prefecture, which administers the southern side of the mountain, have reported an increase in off-season climb attempts without adequate preparation. Some incidents have left climbers stranded and in need of assistance.
Mountaineering can be dangerous even for experienced climbers. In September 2025, Russian mountaineer Natalia Nagovitsyna was presumed dead after becoming stranded on Pobeda Peak in Kyrgyzstan. She broke her leg on Aug. 12 while descending the mountain and was unable to evacuate. Several rescue attempts failed because of extreme weather and difficult conditions at an altitude of about 7,200 meters. On Sept. 2, a drone surveyed the area where Nagovitsyna was stranded but detected no signs of life.
