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New Delhi: A father in Japan has been reprimanded by police after leaving his seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji, the country's highest mountain, for several hours during a family climb.

The child was found sitting on a bench near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya hiking route, at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), amid foggy and rainy conditions.

According to reports, the 48-year-old father told his son to “wait here” after the child complained of being tired. The father then continued climbing towards the summit with his elder son.

Child found after hours of waiting

Staff at a mountain hut spotted the boy alone and informed the authorities. Police later located the father between the seventh and eighth stations of the climbing route, several hours away from where the child had been left.

The boy was found at around 7:30 AM local time on Thursday and had reportedly spent nearly eight hours waiting alone. Officials said the child was tired and upset when he was reunited with his father.

Police reportedly warned the father that leaving a child alone in such dangerous conditions was unacceptable.

“Even if it means giving up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable,” an officer told him, according to local media reports. The father later apologized, calling his decision “rash.”

Mount Fuji remains a challenging climb

The family was climbing the Fujinomiya route, which begins from the fifth station and is accessible by public transport. Reaching the summit from there usually takes around five hours, while the descent takes approximately three hours.

Standing at 3,776 meters (12,389 feet), Mount Fuji is Japan's highest peak and an active volcano. The mountain was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 and attracts around 200,000 climbers every year.

Over the years, several rescue operations have been carried out on Mount Fuji due to accidents and challenging weather conditions.