Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher who made history by becoming the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1975 and the first woman to climb the highest peak on every continent, known as the Seven Summits, in 1992. She was also a pioneer of women's mountaineering in Japan, founding the Joshi-Tohan Club (Women's Mountaineering Club) in 1969 with the slogan "Let's go on an overseas expedition by ourselves". She faced many challenges and prejudices as a female climber in a male-dominated sport, but she never gave up on her passion and ambition. She wrote seven books about her experiences and achievements, as well as the difficulties of balancing her family life and career. She also organized environmental projects to clean up the rubbish left behind by climbers on Everest and other mountains, and led annual climbs up Mount Fuji for youth affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. She was diagnosed with peritoneal cancer in 2012, but continued to climb until shortly before her death in 2016. She was an inspiration to many people, especially women, who admired her courage, perseverance, and spirit of adventure. She was honored with several awards and recognitions, such as the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government, the Blue Planet Prize from the Asahi Glass Foundation, and the naming of asteroid 6897 Tabei and a mountain range on Pluto after her.