Japanese set three new records last month, all of them sky high. One was a marvel of technology, the other two marvels of human endurance. The achievements offer a renewed sense of hopefulness that Japan is still very much a can-do society.
Stunning the mountaineering world, Ms. Tamae Watanabe, 73, was the oldest woman to climb the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. She reached the top despite recovering from a back injury and encountering perilous weather. Her age hardly seemed to be a factor. She had already broken the world record for oldest woman to climb Everest in 2002 at age 63. If Japanese society is aging, Ms. Watanabe certainly does it well.
The second Japanese record set last month was Mr. Hirotaka Takeuchi's scaling of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter high mountains. Only 30 other climbers have accomplished this feat. As the first Japanese to join the elite group of climbers, the 41-year-old is a model of endurance, skill and accomplishment.