People lost in mountains in Japan hit record high in 2018

June 13, 2019

Tokyo--The number of people who were lost in the mountains across Japan totaled 3,129 in 2018, the highest level since comparable data became available in 1961, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

Foreigners accounted for 169, about five times the level they were five years before. Of them, 111 were tourists, including 61 whose purpose was skiing or snowboarding in areas not managed by ski area operators.

The total number of people who died or went missing in the mountains stood at 342, the second highest on record following the 354 of 2017.

Climbers made up about 70 pct of those who were lost in the mountains, while about 10 pct were people hunting vegetables and mushrooms.

People aged 60 or older made up a majority, including 698 in their 70s and 692 in their 60s.

Of the country's 47 prefectures, Nagano saw the greatest number of such accidents, at 297, followed by Hokkaido, at 201, and Tokyo, at 147.

People need to be fully prepared when they enter the mountains and to make appropriate decisions, including turning back, if they think they are about to get lost, an NPA official said. Jiji Press