First female student after ban of women on submarines

January 22, 2020

In this handout picture taken and released on January 22, 2020 by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Saki Takenouchi (front row, 2nd R) and other students attend a ceremony to begin their national naval submarine academy classes in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture.

The first female student admitted to Japan's national naval submarine academy began classes on January 22 after the end of a ban on women on the country's submarines. Saki Takenouchi, 26, entered the academy in a western region of Hiroshima along with about 20 other men, after the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force overturned previous restrictions. AFP-Jiji Press