In the first month of the climbing season alone, six people died on Mount Fuji, which is already more than the total number of deaths from last season.

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

Last year, there were four deaths, two in each prefecture, during the entire climbing season, which officially ends on September 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 and late 70s, police said. Five of them died after falling ill during the climb, while the other suffered fatal injuries after falling from a rocky slope, police said.

According to the Yamanashi Prefectural Police, most fatal accidents on Mount Fuji are caused by illness.

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

Shizuoka Prefectural Police said all deaths so far this season have been due to bad weather and are urging people to cancel their climbing plans if a storm is forecast.

To highlight the harsh conditions faced by rescue workers, police posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of a rescue team braving a storm to help stranded climbers.

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

Starting this season, Yamanashi authorities have set up a checkpoint at the fifth station of the Yoshida Trail, limiting the daily number of climbers to 4,000.

To prevent dangerous “bullet climbing,” the checkpoint is closed from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Climbers attempt to reach the 3,776-meter-high summit overnight without a break or accommodation in order to experience the spectacular sunrise from the summit.

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

Separately, Fujiyoshida Ward officials counted hikers passing the sixth station of the trail.

According to official figures, the number of night hikers has fallen by more than 90 percent compared to last year. This is a clear indication that they have succeeded in curbing “bullet climbing”.

In addition, starting this season, climbers on the three hiking trails in Shizuoka Prefecture are asked to register their plans with the authorities in advance.

The aim of this measure is to facilitate rescue measures in the event of an accident and to deter bullet climbing through mandatory online safety lectures that are part of the registration process.

Although registration is voluntary, 55,576 hikers had already registered as of July 29. Compared to last season’s 84,000 climbers who explored the trails, a prefectural official said the new system was a good start.

Despite initial fears that the newly introduced night restrictions on the Yamanashi side would divert climbers to the unrestricted Shizuoka side, this has not happened so far, according to Shizuoka authorities.