A 102-year-old man has become the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji in Japan.
Kokichi Akuzawa, born in 1923, reached the summit of Japan’s highest peak on 5 August, after maintaining a near-weekly mountain-climbing routine as part of his training.
The Guinness World Records also officially recognised his feat in early August.
“I am six years older than the last time I climbed,” Mr Akuzawa told AFP, referring to his hike up the 3,776m (12,388ft) peak at the age of 96.
“I have been there and seen the view many times, it wasn’t anything special,” he said.
“I reached the summit last time too.”
Mr Akuzawa’s preparation for the ascent of Mount Fuji, an active volcano, followed a series of health setbacks: he had tripped on a nearby mountain in January, battled shingles, and was hospitalised for heart failure.
“His physical condition worried the family, but he was determined to climb,” his 75-year-old daughter Yukiko said.
On the morning of 3 August, he began his climb via the mountain’s easiest of four routes – a path that typically takes around six hours for an average hiker.
The Yoshida Trail involves roughly 5,800ft of vertical gain.
To accommodate the challenge, Mr Akuzawa spread his climb over three days, spending two nights along the way.
Despite struggles near the top, he reached the 3,776m summit on 5 August 2025, earning a Guinness World Record and later joking he’d never do it again.
“If you ask me next year, maybe you’ll get a different answer,” he added. “But for now, I’m happy with that climb.”
Mr Akuzawa said in a statement: “It was tough, and it felt a lot different to the last time I climbed it.”
“I’m amazed that I made it to the top.”
For the majority of his climb, Mr Akuzawa enjoyed favourable weather, though conditions grew harsher near the summit, with dropping temperatures, thinner air, and lower oxygen levels.
On the third day, he felt like giving up, but his 70-year-old daughter Motoe, urged him to press on, taking it one step at a time.
Ultimately, Mr Akuzawa reached the peak at 11am on 5 August.
“I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help,” Mr Akuzawa says in the statement. “I’m feeling pleased now.”
The title of the oldest climber to reach Mount Fuji’s summit has changed hands several times over the past decades. In 1986, Teiichi Igarashi set the record at 99 years old, followed by Ichijiro Araya, who climbed the peak at 100 years and 258 days in 1994.
Now, Mr Akuzawa has raised the bar, reaching the summit at 102 years and 51 days.
Mr Akuzawa has been a seasoned mountaineer, according to the Guinness World Records. In 2022, to mark his 99th birthday, he scaled Mount Nabewariyama, a 4,177ft peak near Tokyo.
