SAITAMA (Kyodo) A 30-year-old man was rescued Friday in a mountainous area in Ogano, Saitama Prefecture, after he went missing two weeks ago, police said.
A rescue worker spotted Junichi Tada, from Ota Ward, Tokyo, lying by a stream at a point 1,200 meters above sea level on Mount Ryokami in the Chichibu mountain range.
Tada, whose left leg was broken, was quoted as telling rescue workers that he had survived by "eating seven pieces of candy and drinking river water."
He also told rescue workers he had fallen down to the stream, according to the police.
Although exhausted, he shed tears when a rescue worker grasped his hand, according to the police, adding that his injury is not life-threatening.
Tada went to the mountainous area by himself on Aug. 14 without a tent or food. His family asked the police to search for him the next day as he did not return as scheduled.
A police officer said: "It's a miracle. He must have had a strong will."
This year, a series of accidents involving mountain climbers have occurred across the country, partly due to heavy rains in mountainous areas.