Man airlifted from Japan's Mount Fuji rescued again after he returned to search for his phone

A climber airlifted with altitude sickness from near the peak of Japan's Mount Fuji last week was rescued again just four days later after returning to the slope to retrieve his cell phone leadership declared Monday The climber identified only as a -year-old Chinese novice living in Japan made an urgency call on April after growing features of altitude sickness Shizuoka prefectural police stated His climbing irons were also damaged The man was subsequently airlifted from the mountain AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT TO TOKYO FROM NYC DIVERTED TO TEXAS FOR 'MAINTENANCE ISSUE'On Saturday he returned to the mountain's Fujinomiya trail located about feet above sea level to search for his cell phone and other belongings he left behind when he was rescued police announced Another climber revealed him unable to move after he appeared to develop altitude sickness for a second time Bureaucrats urged people to be cautious of the harsh conditions at Japan's tallest peak during its off-season Police declared the mountain has low temperatures and is covered in snow even in spring The mountain's hiking trails are officially open only from July to early September although there is no penalty for hiking off-season Climbers will also not face charges or penalties if they need to be rescued but the Chinese student's incident led to calls online for him to be charged at least for his second rescue In more than people climbed the mountain between July and September according to the BBC HEGSETH ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR US COMMAND UPGRADES IN JAPAN TO DETER CHINAThe -foot-high mountain was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in The mountain used to be a place of pilgrimage and is now increasingly popular among hikers Last year local functionaries attempted to control overcrowding and risks from rushed overnight climbing along rocky slopes to view the sunrise by introducing an entry fee and cap on the number of people who can enter the the bulk popular trail Similar rules will be introduced on other main trails this year The Associated Press contributed to this account