First woman to climb Everest dies at 77

The first woman to climb Mount Everest, Junko Tabei, has died in Japan aged 77.

Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Mount Everest, has died aged 77, Japanese media reports say. (AAP)

Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Mount Everest, has died aged 77, Japanese media reports say.

Tabei died on Thursday of cancer at a hospital outside of Tokyo, according to the reports.

She reached the summit of the world's highest mountain in 1975. In 1992, she also became the first woman to complete the "Seven Summits," reaching the highest peaks of the seven continents.

She gained world fame after Everest, but played it down, telling Sports Illustrated in a 1996 profile: "I was the 36th person to climb Everest."

Japan's Kyodo News agency said that Tabei scaled peaks in more than 60 countries.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said she continued climbing even after being diagnosed with cancer four years ago.