Japanese climber says 1.6 tons of waste taken from Mt. Everest

Asian Economic News, June 4, 2001

TOKYO, May 31 Kyodo

Japanese alpinist Ken Noguchi, who has just returned from an expedition to clean up waste left on Mt. Everest, said Thursday his group collected 1.6 tons of garbage, including 84 discarded oxygen cylinders and 50 tents.

The 27-year-old Noguchi, who in 1999 became the world's youngest climber to reach the highest peaks of the world's seven continents, was speaking at a press conference at the Environment Ministry.

Noguchi led a group of climbers from Japan, China, South Korea, Georgia and Nepal on the expedition that lasted about a month from mid-April. It was the second cleanup trip to the mountain, following one last year.

He said exhibitions of waste retrieved in the latest expedition will be held in Hokkaido, Aomori, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka in Japan as well as in Seoul and Pusan in South Korea and in Beijing.

Noguchi expressed regret that among the waste was garbage left behind by three of the four Japanese parties that scaled the mountain last year.

''International climbers have been critical of Japanese alpinists,'' he said, but added that the parties could have been forced to leave some things behind due to deteriorating weather.

He also recounted the odor emitted from rotting kimchi left behind by Korean climbers.

In the latest expedition, Noguchi had gathered Asian climbers after he discovered that numerous oxygen cylinders, tents and leftover food had been dumped by Japanese, South Korean and Chinese climbers on Mt. Everest, drawing criticism from U.S. and European alpinists.