Captain Miho Otani (大谷三穂) (born May 28, 1971) is an officer in the

Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

. She was the first woman to become the captain of a naval training vessel and a

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

. Otani was also a member of the first female class to enter the

National Defense Academy of Japan , abbreviated is the national, four-year university-level service academy aimed to educate and train students who will be serving as officers in the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. History ...

Career

Otani initially planned to study at

Ryukoku University is a private university in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as a school for Buddhist priests of the Nishi Hongan-ji denomination in 1639, and became a secularized university in 1876. The university's professors and students founded the literary m ...

. When she was in her second year of high school she saw news about the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and decided to apply to the

instead. Though her family did not approve, she entered the Academy in April 1992 as a member of the first female class. At first she wanted to be a pilot, but she ended up being assigned to the Maritime Self-Defense Force, where she worked on the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

JDS Natsugumo. The ban on women serving in destroyers had been lifted in 2008, and so in 2011 she became the vice captain of . In March 2013, Otani became the captain of the training ship ''Shimayuki''. Alongside Ryoko Azuma, she was the first woman to become the captain of a training ship. In February 2016, Otani took command of , making her the first woman in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force to command a

. On July 1, 2017, she was promoted to captain. On December 2, 2019, She took command of making her the first woman to command a JMSDF Aegis destroyer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otani, Miho Living people 1971 births People from Osaka Prefecture National Defense Academy of Japan alumni Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel

Career

See also

References