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4w ago

Guinness Confirms 102-Year-Old as Oldest to Summit Mount Fuji

The record followed an Aug. 5 ascent completed with family companions after a three-month training regimen.

Yukiko Akuzawa, left, helps repeat a journalist's question with a bit louder voice by her father Kokichi Akuzawa, who was recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji (male), during an interview with The Associated Press in Maebashi, northeast of Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Kokichi Akuzawa, recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji (male), poses for a photo with his Guinness certificate during an interview with The Associated Press in Maebashi, northeast of Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Kokichi Akuzawa, recently recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji (male), speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Maebashi, northeast of Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
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Overview

  • He reached the 3,776-meter summit on Aug. 5 after camping for two nights on the trail.
  • The climbing party included his 70-year-old daughter Motoe, his granddaughter, her husband, and four friends from a local mountain club.
  • He said he nearly gave up halfway through but continued after encouragement from companions.
  • He prepared with early-morning walks and weekly mountain hikes over three months following heart issues, shingles, and a prior climbing injury.
  • He relied on help from his 75-year-old daughter Yukiko to communicate due to hearing loss and now plans to focus on volunteering and painting, calling this likely his last Fuji summit.