Local governments with jurisdiction over Mount Ontake and another volcano nearby may start requiring climbers to file plans in advance with relevant authorities, following the nation's worst postwar volcanic disaster last month, a new survey shows.
Mandatory climbing plans are being examined by the Gifu and Niigata prefectural governments. Mount Ontake, which lies on the border of the two prefectures, and Mount Niigata-Yake, where an eruption in 1974 killed three climbers, are among 47 volcanoes under constant monitoring by the Meteorological Agency.
Similar steps by other local governments, however, face an uphill battle amid concerns that requiring climbers to file plans to hike near volcanoes could dent local tourism, according to the survey released Saturday.