I am involved in bolting issues in Japan for the past 5 years, providing information to local governments, and have successfully finished one crag by reinstalling new bolts.
I had a few climbers from overseas come to climb with me at a Japanese crag, but the problem is that there is no suitable crag to entertain them...
Now, Yuji is facing a very tough time trying to fix the crag in his area, but he is not succeeding.
The older generation thinks it is their right to deny the removal of old bolts and replace them properly.
The developer climbers are taught that the routes are their "artwork" when they are young, and they only install bolts for their own use.
As a result, there are many routes that are no longer safe for climbing free. They insist that young climbers should bring their own bolts for protection or climb the un-climb-able routes.
This way, only a few good climbers can accomplish the mission impossible!
We need the transition from aid-climbed crags to "free climbing" crags. Well, at least in Kyusyu... all of those routes I've climbed were aid route turned into free.
The purposes of bolts in aid climbing and free climbing are so different, for aid the bolts does not need to be that strong, because shock load does not need to be considered, and for the bolt distance, the far the better. But in free Climbing, old aid climbed bolt layout is unreasonably dangerous, especially for a short climbers.
Young people, speak up!
Knowledge of bolting is not only important for Japanese young climbers, but they also need to have the courage to speak up for themselves.
Moving on the history of climbing is not rebellion.
However, it has been the age of free climbing since the 1980s, and now it's been over 40 years. No one really likes to climb the hugely runout aid routes anymore.
Even the old climbers themselves acknowledge the risks
Thus, installing new bolts with updated knowledge and skills is actually a "benefit" to them too.
In fact, it's good for everybody.
Who wants to climb with this kind of anchors? But if this is their best shot... who can blame?