Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force appoints its first female lieutenant general

For the first time since the establishment of the Japan Self-Defense Force, a woman was promoted to the rank of admiral (lieutenant general), the highest rank in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, Report informs via News Rebeat.

According to NHK, Japan’s Ministry of Defense decided to appoint Assistant Captain Natsue Kondo, head of the Maritime Self-Defense Force Executive Candidate School, as Regional Superintendent, the highest-ranking position in the Ominato region, which is in charge of Hokkaido and the northeastern coast of Honshu.

The local units of the Maritime Self-Defense Force are responsible for defense security and disaster dispatch around Japan. Local units are deployed in five locations across Japan and perform guard and surveillance missions using escort ships.

The regional superintendent is the highest-ranking position in a local university, and is held by the highest-ranking ‘commander’ in the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Accordingly, Assistant Captain Natsue Kondo was promoted to General Captain, the rank of Lieutenant General, in this personnel appointment.

Japan’s ‘Maritime Commander’ (Naval Chief of Staff level) also has the rank of Captain, so it can be confused with the general Captain. However, while the general rank of admiral corresponds to a lieutenant general, the rank of marine admiral is equivalent to a naval captain as a special rank is prescribed.

Since the Japan Self-Defense Force was founded 69 years ago in 1954, it is the first time that a woman has been promoted to captain, including army and air force generals, and the first time she has been selected as a regional commander.

Natsue Kondo, born in 1966, graduated from Yamaguchi University and became a temporary teacher at a middle school. She enlisted in the Maritime Self-Defense Force in 1989 after accidentally seeing a Self-Defense Force recruitment advertisement.

She wanted to serve on a ship, but at the time, there was no environment in which women could become ship crew members, so she began her career in the Self-Defense Forces with a specialty in accounting and supply.

In December 2016, she was the first woman in the history of the Maritime Self-Defense Force to be promoted to assistant chief (major general), excluding military surgeons. Afterwards, she served as the head of the Ominato Regional General Inspection Department, the head of the Cadet Cadre School, and was promoted to the rank of captain.