26-year-old U.S. National Falls While Climbing Mt. Fuji; Accompanying Woman Also Injured

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:36 JST, April 24, 2026

KOFU — A male U.S. national fell while climbing and skiing on a Mt. Fuji trail on Wednesday, dislocating and fracturing his left ankle, while a woman accompanying him broke her nose, police said.

According to the police, the injured pair are a 26-year-old American male photographer and a woman. The woman said she is a 27-year-old American ski instructor, but her age and other details have yet to be confirmed.

One of the man’s friends in Japan received a call from the injured man’s cell phone and contacted the police at around 5:45 p.m. The fire department and police station’s mountain rescue team began a search early Thursday morning, rescuing them by Thursday evening.

According to the police, the two began climbing Mt. Fuji on the Yoshida Route in Yamanashi Prefecture at around 9 a.m. Wednesday. At around 2 p.m. the man was caught in strong winds near the ninth station and fell, becoming separated from the woman.

The section of the route from the fifth station to the summit is off-limits, as it is closed for the season.