Japanese navy appoints first female chief of warship unit
The Japanese navy said on 6 March it had for the first time appointed a woman as commander of a unit that includes the country's biggest warship.
Ryoko Azuma, 44, will command four warships making up a division with a total of 1,000 crew members.
A spokesman for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force told AFP: ‘This is the first time a woman was appointed for the job. But she wasn't chosen because she was a woman.’
The ships include the helicopter carrier Izumo, the navy's biggest ship.
Azuma, after a ceremony at Yokohama near Tokyo to mark her arrival in the post, said: ‘I want to do my best to carry out the heavy duty I have been given.’
About 400 crew members attended the ceremony.
Azuma said: ‘I don't think about being a woman but I want to try to become a role model for younger female officers.’
About 14,000 women are currently serving in the Self-Defense Forces as the military is known, accounting for only 6% of the entire personnel.
On most levels, Japan lags behind other developed countries in terms of sexual equality.
In politics women are still under-represented with only 47 of the 465 members of the lower house.
According to statistics compiled by the Swiss-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, this ratio of 10.1% places Japan below Myanmar and Gambia.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN]()
US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN
The USN’s Virginia-class SSNs are replacing the old Los Angeles-class SSNs. The Virginia-class SSNs are fitted with the latest sensors and weapons and around 48 submarines are planned, with a total of 38 currently ordered.
-
![BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement]()
BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement
Under Project Land 8710 Phase 2, Australia has been seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels to replace the Balikpapan-class. The programme has an estimated value of AU$1.4 billion (US$910 million), with IOC slated for 2032.
-
![Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates]()
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
![Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat]()
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
-
![Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine]()
Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine
The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.
