Photo/Illutration Hikers climb Mount Fuji on the Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture on July 2. (Tatsuhiko Yoshizawa)

Six people have died on Mount Fuji in just the first month of the climbing season, already exceeding the total number of fatalities last season.

Two climbers died on the Yamanashi Prefecture side of the mountain while four were reported dead on the Shizuoka Prefecture side as of July 30, local police said.

Last year, there were four casualties, two in each prefecture, throughout the entire climbing season that officially ends on Sept. 10.

The Yoshida trail on the Yamanashi side opened for the season on July 1 and the Fujinomiya, Subashiri and Gotenba trails on the Shizuoka side opened on July 10.

All six victims were men in their late 50s to late 70s, according to police. Five of them died after falling ill during the climb, while the other suffered fatal injuries after falling from a rocky slope, police said.

The majority of fatal incidents on Mount Fuji are caused by illness, according to Yamanashi prefectural police.

They urge climbers to take precautions against cold weather and altitude sickness, which can lead to cerebral and pulmonary edema—excessive fluid buildup in the brain and lungs.

Shizuoka prefectural police said all deaths so far this season occurred during bad weather. They implore people to cancel their climbing plans if a storm is forecast.

To highlight the harsh conditions rescuers face, police shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, of a rescue team braving a storm to assist stranded climbers.

Meanwhile, newly introduced restrictions appear to be effective in reducing congestion and deterring reckless, unprepared hikers.

Starting this season, Yamanashi officials have installed a checkpoint at the fifth station of the Yoshida trail, limiting the daily number of climbers to 4,000.

The checkpoint is closed from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. to prevent the dangerous practice known as “bullet climbing.”

This involves climbers attempting to reach the 3,776-meter summit overnight without rest or accommodations in order to catch the spectacular sunrise from the peak.

According to Yamanashi Prefecture, a total of 56,665 climbers passed the checkpoint between July 1 and 28. The daily limit of 4,000 climbers has not been reached on any single day during this period.

Separately, officials from the local municipality of Fujiyoshida counted hikers passing the trail’s sixth station.

Officials said the number of nighttime hikers decreased by more than 90 percent compared with the previous year, a strong indicator that they have successfully discouraged bullet climbing.

Also starting this season, climbers on the three trails in Shizuoka Prefecture are requested to pre-register their plans with authorities.

This measure aims to facilitate rescue efforts in case of accidents and to deter bullet climbing through mandatory online safety lectures that are part of the registration process.

While registration is voluntary, 55,576 hikers had registered by July 29. Compared with the previous season’s total of 84,000 climbers on the trails, a prefectural official said the new system has made a good start.

Despite initial concerns that the newly implemented nighttime restrictions on the Yamanashi side would divert bullet climbers to the unrestricted Shizuoka side, Shizuoka officials report that this has not yet occurred.

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