A: Hey there! Guess what? The government in Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji is, wants to start charging climbers for emergency rescues.

B: Really now? Why's that?

A: Well, they say it's because too many people try to climb when the trails are closed and end up needing rescue. And this costs them a lot of money!

B: Ouch, I see. But isn't Mount Fuji usually open for climbing between July and September?

A: Yes, that's true. But some people still take risks when the trails are closed, like that Chinese student who needed rescuing twice in a week last month!

B: Wow, I hope they figure out a solution to prevent accidents. What do they plan to do about charging fees?

A: They're studying it right now. They'll look at how much to charge and when, whether climbers of other mountains should pay too, and stuff like that.

B: Sounds tricky... I hope they manage without causing trouble for innocent climbers.
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The government of Yamanashi Prefecture, which has a trail to Mount Fuji, has begun studying charging climbers of the mountain for emergency rescue operations using the prefecture's helicopters.



The official climbing season for the mountain is usually set between early July and early September. A council of the central and municipal governments and others prohibits climbers without sufficient preparations from going up at other times.



But a number of accidents are reported every year as some people attempt to climb when trekking trails are closed. Last month, a Chinese university student was rescued twice in a week on the Shizuoka Prefecture side.



Yamanashi officials say they plan to study issues related to collecting the fee, looking at the case of a prefecture that already has an ordinance allowing the government to collect such fees. They include the period for charging fees, whether to collect fees from climbers of other mountains and how to handle cases in which climbers are rescued by other public helicopters, such as police ones.



The burden rescue efforts put on the public purse is becoming an issue. Earlier this month, Mayor Horiuchi Shigeru of Fujiyoshida City at the foot of Mount Fuji on Yamanashi side asked the prefectural government to consider charging fees, pointing out that rescue operations are extremely expensive.



Yamanashi officials say they will work on the plan to prevent reckless climbing although they are aware of the challenges involved in charging rescue fees.