Regarding the July 18 article "10 climbers perish in Hokkaido": These were not "climbers," but weekend hikers usually found exploring gentle trails on minor peaks. Whoever organized the two casual tours into the Taisetsu mountain range sent these poor people to their deaths.
Anyone with any knowledge of mountain climbing would have known that there are sudden climate changes at high altitude and that a warm sunny day can swiftly become a freezing hell with wind and rain. Most likely the tour organizers, based in flat regions of the Kanto Plain, had little understanding of mountain hiking and the very real life-threatening risks involved.
The tour organizers are guilty of far more than "professional negligence"; they are guilty of cynical stupidity. Why wasn't there an experienced mountain tour guide accompanying these hikers (said to be mostly in their 50s and 60s)?