Swiss hiker dies on Mount Fuji, 99-year-old injured woman rescued

A Swiss man died after losing consciousness hiking up Mount Fuji, authorities said on Friday, taking fatalities this climbing season on the scenic but potentially dangerous mountain to two.

Rescuers separately managed to save a 99-year-old woman, however, after she was injured on the mountain and sheltered in a hut overnight.

Japan’s highest mountain was once a peaceful pilgrimage site but has become a popular target for hikers — some of whom lack the stamina required for the five-to-10 hour trek up and down.

Japan has tightened access rules on the 3,776-metre (12,388-foot) volcano in response to overtourism, crowding and a series of safety incidents involving poorly equipped climbers, some of them foreign tourists.

Police told AFP that the 58-year-old Swiss man, who had fallen unconscious during the hike, was resuscitated and taken to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

The Swiss assisted dying company EXIT identified the man as managing director Bernhard Sutter, saying in a statement that he died after a medical emergency while on a family holiday in Japan.

It was the second fatality since the Fuji hiking season began on July 1 after a 65-year-old Japanese man died on July 17, reportedly after falling and hitting his head.

Police also said that Tome Sagawa, 99, was rescued the same day trying to scale the mountain after the Japanese woman injured herself the previous day and spent the night in a mountain hut.

“Police are urging hikers to come down from the mountain without pushing themselves if they feel concerned about the weather or their physical condition, and to plan hikes that are within their capabilities, taking into account their climbing experience and physical fitness,” a police spokesman said.

A few days before that a 54-year-old Japanese man had to be rescued twice in as many days attempting the walk, reports said.

The same thing happened to a Chinese man climbing outside the official season — as several thousand do every year — in 2025 after he returned to look for his phone and other belongings.

In 2024, Yamanashi Prefecture, which manages the popular Yoshida Trail, introduced a daily cap of 4,000 climbers and a 2,000-yen ($12.20) climbing fee which was doubled in 2025.

The neighbouring Shizuoka region also introduced a charge of 4,000 yen for its three trails.

A little over 200,000 people still climbed the mountain last year, down from just over 220,000 in 2023.

There were nine deaths in the 2024 season but none in 2025.

AFP