A Japanese actress trying to be the first woman to reach the North Pole was 120 miles from her goal but was slowed by heavy snow and breaks in the Arctic Ice, Japanese news reports said Monday.
The reports from Resolute, Canada, said the four-member Japanese expedition received its fifth airlift of supplies Sunday at 88 degrees 14 minutes north latitude.
Kyodo News Service said the group, including Masako Izumi, two Eskimo guides and Japanese Arctic explorer Tsugio Saotome, hoped to reach the pole within 10 days, before warm weather sets in.
The news agency said the expedition, traveling on only two snowmobiles, has progressed only about 20 miles in the past week because it has been hampered by channels of water in the icepack. The nationwide newspaper Asahi Shimbun said unusually heavy snow also has been a problem for the 37-year old actress. She was quoted as saying, "I hope to get as far as I can without forgetting my original spirit of giving importance to safety and enjoying myself."
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