Japan to charge rescue fee on Mount Fuji during off season

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, The fee is among a series of measures Yamanashi prefecture is introducing to deter reckless climbers

From next year, people who attempt to climb Mount Fuji during off-peak seasons and then require rescue by helicopter will have to pay for the service, authorities governing the northern part of the peak say.

The fee is among a series of measures Japan's Yamanashi prefecture is introducing to deter reckless and poorly prepared climbers.

A similar fee of 8,000 yen ($51; £38) per five minutes is already in place in nearby Saitama prefecture for other mountainous areas and will be used as a reference.

Yamanashi authorities will also require those looking to scale Fuji during the off-season, which runs from early September to July the following year, to submit detailed climbing plans.