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A father has been reprimanded by police after leaving his son on Japan’s highest mountain for several hours with just a soft drink and snack, local media report.<\/b><\/p>\n
The seven-year-old was spotted sitting on a bench on Mount Fuji in foggy and rainy conditions, at a point situated at over 2,000m (6,500ft).<\/p>\n
His father, 48, reportedly told him to “wait here” after the boy complained he was tired – and continued the climb with his elder son.<\/p>\n
Staff at a mountain hut found the child near the sixth station of a hiking route towards the summit and alerted police. His father was tracked down at the route’s eighth station – said to be a three-hour hike away.<\/p>\n
According to reports, the boy was found on his own at 07:30 local time on Thursday (22:30 GMT). <\/p>\n
Officers castigated his father when he returned from the higher station and reunited with his son.<\/p>\n
“Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable,” one told him, according to Japan Today. He is said to have apologised for the “rash” decision.<\/p>\n
The family was reported to have been on the Fujinomiya route, which starts from the fifth station on the mountain, a spot which is accessible by public transport.<\/p>\n
From there it takes around five hours to reach the peak and a further three hours to get down, climbing guides suggest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n