Yamanashi prefecture's deputy governor, Hiraide Wataru, expressed disappointment over vandalism on Mount Fuji, allegedly perpetrated by Indonesian tourists, during a meeting with Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

'We, the Yamanashi administration, deeply regret the actions on Mt Fuji,' Wataru said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

'We hope and ask all Indonesian people to understand and respect each other's culture,' he went on.

Recent reports in several media in Japan showed graffiti reading 'CLA-X Indonesia', 'RUDAI', and 'RUDAI OOSIS', in several areas on the mountain, which is widely popular among tourists visiting the country. Indonesian tourists were allegedly responsible for the vandalism.

Wataru said the Japanese revered Mt Fuji as a sacred and holy mountain. It is also a world heritage site,

'Tourists or climbers at Mt Fuji should respect Japanese culture by not doing such things,' he told journalists after his meeting with the governor, which took place at Kepatihan.

Wataru said the Yamanashi administration had decided to tighten security on the mountain to prevent similar disrespectful actions happening in the future. Despite the incident, he said, the prefectural administration hoped to attract more tourists. 'We strive to attract more visitors, especially from Indonesia, to visit Mt Fuji,' he said. (put/ebf)