Capt. Ryoko Azuma made history when she became the first woman in the Maritime Self-Defense Force to command a warship squadron last year. Azuma's new position was a testament to her hard work and dedication, but it also reflected new realities that Japan faces as it staffs a 21st century military. Enlistment is falling as demand is rising for ever more capable soldiers and sailors. Azuma is only the first of what must become a long line of senior female military officers.

Women were allowed in the Self-Defense Forces since its inception but only to serve as nurses. Azuma joined the SDF in 1992, part of the first class of women admitted to the National Defense Academy. She, along with other women enlistees, were given different curricula than men, and were restricted to noncombat duties — typically on escort ships — when they entered active duty; it was thought that they were unsuited for such difficult, challenging and dangerous assignments.

That view of women and their capabilities changed as Azuma ascended through the ranks. A decade ago, the rule banning women from serving on warships was lifted. She became the MSDF's first female captain in March 2013 when she took command of the Setoyuki, which conducts training voyages. In March 2018, she was given command of a naval squadron consisting of four destroyers, the vessels that are on the front lines of Japan's defense, patrolling and surveilling the country's waters, including the helicopter carrier Izumo, which will be redesigned as an aircraft carrier capable of carrying Japan's most advanced fighter jets. Some of Azuma's ships joined the antipiracy patrols off the coast of Africa.