Reflecting the recent rise of alpine accidents amid the trekking boom in Japan, experts advise hikers to get insurance covering search and rescue expenses, which can be hugely expensive.
Reflecting the recent rise of alpine accidents amid the trekking boom in Japan, experts advise hikers to get insurance covering search and rescue expenses, which can be hugely expensive.
There were 2,495 mountaineering accidents across Japan in 2016, the second highest figure since data became available in 1961, according to the National Police Agency. A total of 319 people died or went missing while 1,133 were injured. Nearly 60 percent of the victims were in their 50s or older, according to the NPA.
If police or other public organizations are mobilized in a mountaineering accident, the taxpayer gets the bill for search and rescue operations.
