An ordinance that will oblige climbers ascending Mount Fuji from Yamanashi Prefecture to pay an extra fee has been enacted by the local assembly.

It will come into effect on July 1, when the climbing season kicks off.

Yamanashi's prefectural assembly on Monday unanimously enacted the ordinance aimed at protecting the environment and preventing accidents.

The move comes as the number of trekkers to Japan's highest peak last year recovered to near pre-pandemic levels. Some have been starting the ascent at night and descending without staying in huts, which is considered reckless.

Prefectural officials had submitted a draft of the ordinance noting the need to regulate climbers. The measure obligates the trekkers to pay a 2,000-yen fee, or about 13 dollars per person, when traveling along the Yoshida Trail of Mount Fuji, located in the prefecture.

The measure also calls on installing a gate at the fifth station on the mountain and setting a limit on the number of trekkers who can pass through it on a given day.

The ordinance also allows security personnel deployed along the trail to issue warnings to people behaving inappropriately.

As people climbing from the Yamanashi side are already asked to voluntarily pay 1,000 yen, or about 6.6 dollars, they will be expected to pay up to 3,000 yen, or nearly 20 dollars, to climb Mount Fuji.