KATHMANDU, MAY 24
The Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Maeda Toru, hosted a commemorative event at his residence on Friday to honor the legacy of the late Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mt Everest, marking the 50th anniversary of her historic ascent on May 16, 1975.
Ambassador Maeda reflected on Tabei's pioneering achievement and acknowledged that the achievements of Japanese mountaineering teams, including Ms. Tabei, have always been supported by good friends in Nepal, according to the press release issued by the Japan Embassy in Kathmandu.
Ambassador also mentioned that the good relationship between Japan and Nepal has been underpinned by these friendships and exchanges at individual/grassroot levels including mountaineers and people related, blessed with Nepal's magnificent and captivating natural beauty.
Among the guests was Ang Tshering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, who had supported Tabei as a Sherpa leader during her 1975 climb. He shared personal anecdotes from the expedition. Also in attendance was Lakhphuti Sherpa, Chairwoman of the Nepal Museum Association, who toasted the occasion. She was the deputy team leader of the 1993 First Nepalese Women Expedition to Everest.
The event also highlighted other notable May milestones in Japan-Nepal mountaineering history, including:
May 9, 1956: Toshio Imanishi's ascent of Mt Manaslu
May 11, 1970: Naomi Uemura, first Japanese to summit Everest
May 19, 2012: Tamae Watanabe, oldest woman to summit Everest at age 73
May 23, 2013: Yuichiro Miura, oldest man to summit Everest at age 80
May 26, 2012: Hirotaka Takeuchi, first Japanese to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters
A film based on Junko Tabei's life is set to be released in Japan this autumn to commemorate her trailblazing legacy, the embassy said.
