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The number of mountain climbing accidents in Japan hit a record high last year, with 3,568 people reported rescued, missing or killed, an increase of 62 from the previous year, police statistics showed.

Mount Fuji saw the highest increase in accidents, with 97 people involved, a 90 percent rise from the average of the previous five years.

That was followed by Mount Takaosan in Tokyo, with a 68 percent increase to 133 climbers, and other popular tourist destinations.

In 2023, there were a record 3,126 mountain climbing accidents, up 111 from the previous year, according to statistics released by the National Police Agency on June 13.

The number of injuries increased by 94 to 1,400, also the highest on record. The number of accidents, injuries and deaths has more than quadrupled over the past three decades.

The number of foreign tourists involved in mountain accidents also marked a record high, likely due to the surge in inbound tourism following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

The number of those foreign climbers, which has been tracked since 2018, remained low in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, but increased to 145 in 2023. Among these, 11 died or went missing.

By age group, people in their 60s and older accounted for half of the total number of climbers involved in accidents, with the highest number among those in their 70s, at 790.

The most common cause of accidents was getting lost, accounting for more than 30 percent of cases, followed by falls and slips.

Nearly 80 percent of those who died or who went missing failed to file a climbing plan with local authorities beforehand. Such notification is requested for climbing some mountains.

The NPA is urging climbers to submit climbing plans and carry GPS devices for additional safety.

"Make sure to plan your climbing trip based on your knowledge, physical strength and experience, and prepare adequate equipment," said Yoshifumi Matsumura, chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission.

The NPA also released the number of water-related accidents in 2023, which increased by 27 from the previous year to 1,667, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase.

Among the 743 fatalities and missing persons, 27 were junior high school students or younger.

By location of death or disappearance, the sea accounted for half of all accidents. For cases involving junior high school students and younger, rivers were the location for 60 percent of the mishaps. 

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