Newly-appointed Commander of First Escort Division of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Ryoko Azuma (2nd L), who is the first female commander of a navy destroyer squadron in Japan, salutes to soldiers on JMSDF's helicopter carrier Izumo at a port in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Nobuhiro Kubo
Reuters: Japan's navy appoints first woman to command warship squadron
Japan’s navy on Tuesday appointed the first woman to command a warship squadron, including the flagship Izumo helicopter carrier, as it tries to lure more females to make up for a dearth of male recruits in graying Japan.
Ryoko Azuma, will command four ships with a combined crew of 1,000, of which only 30 are women, that make up the Maritime Self Defense Force’s (MSDF) First Escort Division.
“I don’t think about being a woman. I will concentrate my energy on fulfilling my duties as commander,” Azuma, 44, said at a change of command ceremony attended by 400 sailors aboard the Izumo, which was docked at a shipyard in Yokohama near Tokyo for repairs.
When she joined the MSDF in 1996 women were barred from serving on warships, a rule that the navy abolished ten years ago. Submarines, however, are still crewed only by men.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Like all modern navies the Japanese are having problems recruiting males to make a career in the Navy. Trying to encourage women to join will make up some of that shortfall. But only concern is that I hope that they are promoted on ability and not for public relations.
