KATHMANDU: Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Maeda Toru today honoured the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) for successfully marking the platinum jubilee of the first ascent of Mt. Manaslu.

Amidst a function at the NMA, Ambassador Toru presented the prestigious Ambassador’s Award to the President of NMA, Phur Gelje Sherpa, for organizing grand events to mark Manaslu’s Platinum Jubilee. Presenting the award, Envoy Toru shared that Japan and Nepal have a shared connection through mountains and mountaineering.

 “Through mountaineering, our people-to-people relationship has reached a new height,” the ambassador stated. He also expressed condolences to the renowned climbers who lost their lives in the Broad Peak avalanche last month. “NMA has been playing an instrumental role in strengthening Nepal-Japan relations through mountaineering,” the envoy said, adding that he feels privileged to present the award to NMA.

NMA President Sherpa thanked the Japanese government and Ambassador Toru for their great recognition. “This award reflects the deep-rooted relations between the two nations, as well as Japan’s gratitude towards the climbing communities in Nepal,” Sherpa said. He also briefed details about the activities being carried out by NMA for the betterment of Nepal’s mountaineering industry.

Welcoming the guests, NMA General Secretary Rajendra Bahadur Lama said that NMA feels proud to receive such great recognition from the Japanese ambassador.

Under NMA leadership, the Manaslu Platinum Jubilee Celebration 2026 was held in Samagaun, Tsum Nubri Rural Municipality-1, Gorkha, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt. Manaslu (8,163m), the world's eighth-highest peak, on May 9, 1956. On the occasion, statues of Japanese climber Toshio Imanishi and Nepali mountaineer Urken Tshering Sherpa, who together made the historic first summit, were unveiled.

Manaslu was first climbed on May 9, 1956, by Toshio Imanishi of Japan, an ascent that marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan. NMA has also been closely working with the Japanese Alpine Club for the betterment of the mountaineering sector since then. In today’s event, NMA officials, advisors, executives, climbers, and high-level dignitaries were present.