A father in Japan has been reprimanded by police after leaving his seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji for several hours while continuing his climb with his older child.

The boy was found sitting on a bench near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya hiking route at around 7:30am local time on Thursday. The area, more than 2,000 metres above sea level, was experiencing fog and rain, reports BBC.

Police said the 48-year-old father told his younger son to wait after the boy complained of being tired, then continued towards the summit with his elder son. The child was left with only a drink and a snack.

Workers at a mountain hut noticed the boy and contacted police. Officers later located his father between the seventh and eighth stations, reportedly around a three-hour hike from where the child had been left.

After roughly eight hours alone, the boy was described as tired and irritable when his father returned. Police reprimanded the man, telling him that leaving a child behind was unacceptable even if it meant abandoning plans to climb the mountain together. The father reportedly apologised, admitting that his decision had been rash.

The family had been climbing the Fujinomiya route, which begins at the fifth station, a point accessible by public transport. The ascent to Mount Fuji's 3,776-metre summit takes about five hours, while the descent can take another three hours.

Mount Fuji has seen several climbing-related incidents in recent years. In July, a 99-year-old woman was rescued after falling and injuring her hip and back while attempting the climb. Last year, a 27-year-old university student who climbed outside the official season required rescue twice within four days, including after returning to search for a lost mobile phone.

Located southwest of Tokyo, Mount Fuji is an active volcano and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. It is also regarded as one of Japan's three sacred mountains, alongside Mount Tate and Mount Haku.

About 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji each year, with some routes imposing daily limits to reduce overcrowding.