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MSDF appoints first woman to command warship squadron

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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
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 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.

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