The number of people stranded in Japan’s mountains rose to 3,568 in 2023, the highest level since records began in 1961, according to National Police data made available on Thursday.
The number of stranded cases also reached a record high of 3,126.
Among those stranded, the number of foreigners stood at 145, the highest since comparable data became available in 2018 and a figure 1.4 times higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the total, 335 people were killed or missing, an increase of eight compared to 2022.
Of those stranded, 790 were people in their 70s, the largest group; people aged sixty or older accounted for half of the total.
By prefecture, Nagano had the highest number of stranded people, at 332, followed by Hokkaido, with 245, and Tokyo, with 233.
The number of people reported stranded on Mount Fuji has increased by 90.2% compared to average in the five years to 2022.
Tokyo’s Mount Takao saw a 68.4% increase in the number of people stranded, and central Japan’s Hotaka Mountains saw a 48.1% increase.
