Rescuers seek to bring down bodies found on Japan’s Mount Fuji

Advertisement

Advertise with us

TOKYO (AP) — Three bodies were found inside a crater at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous mountain, with one of them already brought down from the slopes, police said Thursday.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/06/2024 (833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOKYO (AP) — Three bodies were found inside a crater at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous mountain, with one of them already brought down from the slopes, police said Thursday.

The identities of the people, including gender or age, were not confirmed. An effort to bring back the two other bodies will continue Friday or later, depending on weather conditions, they said. A search was called off for Thursday because of forecasts for heavy rainfall.

It’s unclear whether the three people were climbing the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) mountain together, as the bodies were found several meters apart.

FILE - The shadow of Mount Fuji is cast on clouds hanging below the summit Aug. 27, 2019, in Japan. Three bodies were found inside a crater at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous mountain, with one of them already brought down from the slopes, police said Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - The shadow of Mount Fuji is cast on clouds hanging below the summit Aug. 27, 2019, in Japan. Three bodies were found inside a crater at the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s most famous mountain, with one of them already brought down from the slopes, police said Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The official climbing season had not yet started when the climbers entered the mountain from the Shizuoka Prefecture side.

Japanese media reports showed a vehicle with one of the bodies driving into a police station in Shizuoka Prefecture. The rescue team had been searching for a 53-year-old man for whom a missing person report was filed.

Separately, Kyodo News service said professional climber Keita Kurakami, 38, died in a hospital after being found by police while climbing Fuji from the Yamanashi Prefecture side of the mountain.

Fuji can be climbed from both Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. The climbing season kicks in for Yamanashi starting July 1.

Mount Fuji, made famous in ukiyoe, or woodblock prints, of 18th and 19th Century Edo Era masters Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, is a popular tourist destination.

Experts warn it can get extremely cold, even in the summer, and proper gear, climbing boots and clothing are crucial. Trekkers are also at risk of altitude sickness if they ascend too quickly.

The picturesque Fuji has long been an iconic symbol of Japan, with its gracefully sweeping slopes and white icy cap that stand out amid tranquil lakes and rice fields.

As many as 300,000 people climb Fuji every year, and watching the sunrise from the mountaintop is coveted as a spiritual experience. But worries have been growing lately about overcrowding from the influx of tourists.

The town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi erected a large black screen along a sidewalk to block the view of Mount Fuji to discourage photo-snapping crowds.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Widespread fraud among ride-service drivers: MPI

Erik Pindera 2 minute read Preview

Widespread fraud among ride-service drivers: MPI

Erik Pindera 2 minute read 1:00 PM CDT

Ride-service drivers have been defrauding Manitoba Public Insurance by improperly insuring their vehicles as for personal use.

The public insurer and the City of Winnipeg, which regulates ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, discovered the widespread fraud after MPI conducted a review in December last year, the Crown corporation announced at a news conference Thursday.

MPI’s review looked at a random sample of 408 ride-hailing vehicles and found 108 were operating without the proper vehicle-for-hire insurance coverage. In order to register with the city as a ride-service driver, a vehicle must have such insurance and proof must be provided to the ride-booking company.

After being approved to work as Uber or Lyft drivers with proof of the proper insurance, the drivers would change their coverage to personal all-purpose or pleasure use policies, which are as much as 50 per cent cheaper. Officials said it was intentional fraud.

Read
1:00 PM CDT

Kids deserve better

Jordan Laidlaw 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

As much as I cling to hope, I recognize the ominous circumstances and questionable future that our young people stand to inherit.

Don’t let pyjama jibes sour your bedtime bond

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I got married in August and my new husband just bought himself old-man striped flannel pyjamas to wear to bed now that it’s getting colder out. He didn’t do this before we were married. What a turn-off. Should I buy him a nightcap as well?

He used to be a sexy guy who just dumped his clothes on the chair beside the bed and jumped in naked.

But last night I watched him come out of the bathroom in a ratty old robe. I thought, “He looks like my grandfather, not my husband.”

I called out sarcastically, “Hey, gramps, are you lost?” and he said, “Not anymore.” Then he walked into the spare bedroom and slept there all night without me. Help.

Jets goaltender quickly taking on folk hero status with hot start

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Jets goaltender quickly taking on folk hero status with hot start

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Updated: 10:03 AM CDT

Stuart Skinner is giving the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about.

The Winnipeg Jets new No. 1 netminder came up with another brilliant performance, making 32 saves — including several of the highlight-reel variety — to propel his team to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre.

With each save he makes and each win he records, Skinner is doing what he can to help turn the page on the Connor Hellebuyck era.

“I would say that they are big shoes to fill 100 per cent, but I’m not looking into the scenario of filling his shoes,” said Skinner, who lowered his goals-against average to 2.62 and raised his save percentage to .920 through three starts. “My job’s the same job as any other goalie in this league. So it’s a little bit of a difficult question for me to truly answer.”

Read
Updated: 10:03 AM CDT

Province to fund livestock cop to cut down on theft

Connor McDowell 3 minute read Preview

Province to fund livestock cop to cut down on theft

Connor McDowell 3 minute read Updated: 1:08 PM CDT

BRANDON — The Manitoba government will fund a new RCMP position dedicated to investigating livestock theft.

The province made the announcement Thursday.

Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said the investigative role will fill a pressing need.

“Personally speaking, I think this has been a long time waiting for this to come to reality,” the Dauphin MLA said Wednesday. “We are doing a great thing for the industry.”

Read
Updated: 1:08 PM CDT

Booze sales down, gaming and cannabis up in Manitoba

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Preview

Booze sales down, gaming and cannabis up in Manitoba

Carol Sanders 5 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

MANITOBA Liquor and Lotteries delivered $724.1 million in profits to the province in 2025-26, with the lion’s share coming from alcohol, even as booze sales continue to shrink.

The Crown corporation’s contribution to Manitoba’s general revenues decreased by $6 million or 0.8 per cent from last year’s allocation of $730.1 million, its annual report shows.

That indicates stable overall performance “despite a changing operating environment,” the recently-released report said.

Those changes include the order from Premier Wab Kinew last year to remove U.S. alcohol from Liquor Mart store shelves after President Donald Trump launched a trade war against Canada as well as Manitobans’ changing tastes.

Read
2:01 AM CDT