Japan lifts last deployment limit on women in SDF as safety improved
Japan's Defense Ministry has removed its remaining work restrictions on female members of the Self-Defense Forces, allowing their participation in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons defense units from August as safety gear has improved.
The change at the Ground Self-Defense Force follows those at the maritime and air defense forces.
The GSDF units are responsible for missions, including decontamination and scouting, in areas contaminated with radiological materials as well as biological and chemical agents. Such missions have been linked to the risk of infertility, the reason for the restriction.
Following the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, Japan found it was difficult to carry out decontamination work, such as removing hazardous materials from people affected by the disaster, using only male members of the SDF.
The ministry has determined, following technological advances, that women can safely carry out such work by limiting hazardous exposure through the use of special vehicles and protective gear.
Female personnel were previously excluded from duties involving a heavy physical burden, such as direct combat, but the ministry reviewed its policy in 1993 to promote gender equality in the SDF.
In eliminating their last restrictions, the Air Self-Defense Force opened the door for women to pilot fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft in 2015, and the Maritime Self-Defense Force allowed women to join submarine crews in 2018.
The GSDF also expanded its deployment of women, including to combat vehicles, in 2017.
© KYODO
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Trump says he's shortening the 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he is giving Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 to 12 days to stop the killing in Ukraine, shortening a 50-day deadline he had given the Russian leader two weeks ago. Russia fired an overnight barrage of more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles, the Ukrainian air force said, as the Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities continued despite Trump's pressure for it to end. U.S.-led peace efforts have also failed to gain momentum. Trump had said on July 14 that he would implement "severe tariffs" on Russia unless a peace deal is reached by early September. On Monday, Trump said he would now give Putin 10 to 12 days, meaning he wants peace efforts to make progress by Aug. 7-9. The plan includes possible sanctions and secondary tariffs targeting Russia's trading partners. The formal announcement would come later Monday or on Tuesday, Trump said. "No reason in waiting," Trump said of the shorter timeline. "We just don't see any progress being made." Putin has "got to make a deal. Too many people are dying," Trump said during a visit to Scotland. There was no immediate response from Russia. Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war but continuing to bombard Ukrainian civilians. "And I say, that's not the way to do it," Trump said. He added, "I'm disappointed in President Putin." Asked at a news conference about a potential meeting with the Russian leader, Trump said: "I'm not so interested in talking anymore." Still, he voiced some reluctance about imposing penalties on the Kremlin, saying that he loves the Russian people. "I don't want to do that to Russia," he said, but he noted how many Russians, along with Ukrainians, are dying in the war. Ukraine has urged Western countries to take a tougher line with Putin. Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, thanked Trump for shortening the deadline. "Putin understands only strength -- and that has been conveyed clearly and loudly," Yermak said on Telegram, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared the sentiment. Latest attacks in Ukraine A Russian drone blew out the windows of a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram. Eight people were injured, including a 4-year-old girl, he said. The attack also started a fire in Kropyvnytskyi, in central Ukraine, local officials said, but no injuries were reported. The main target of the Russian attack was Starokostiantyniv, in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine, the air force said. Regional authorities reported no damage or casualties. Western Ukraine is on the other side of the country from the front line, and the Ukrainian military is believed to have significant airfields as well as arsenals and depots there. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out an overnight strike with long-range, air-launched weapons, hitting a Ukrainian air base along with an ammunition depot containing stockpiles of missiles and components for drone production.
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan arranges to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on Kyushu
File photo taken in October 2024 shows a test launch of an enhanced Type-12 land-to-ship guided missile on Niijima, south of Tokyo. (Photo not for sale)(Photo courtesy of the Acquisition, Technology)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo Japan is arranging to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as part of efforts to acquire "counterstrike capabilities" to strike enemy targets in the event of a national security emergency, government sources said Monday. The first deployment of an upgraded version of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Type-12 land-to-ship guided missile is expected shortly before the end of the fiscal year through March 2026, at a GSDF garrison in Kumamoto Prefecture, the sources said. The move is aimed at strengthening the defense of Japan's southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, amid growing concerns about a potential Chinese invasion of the self-ruled democratic island. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. The upgraded Type-12 is being developed as Japan's first domestically produced long-range missile, with a range of around 1,000 kilometers -- enough to reach parts of China from Kyushu. The Defense Ministry is also considering deploying the missiles to another garrison in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu next spring or later, and possibly to the southern island prefecture of Okinawa in the future, the sources said. © KYODO
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Walking 7,000 steps a day a huge boost to health: research
Step up: Walking even just a little more every day could have big health benefits People who walk 7,000 steps a day have a dramatically lower risk of a broad range of serious health problems, the largest review of the evidence yet said. The most widely promoted target for people tracking their number of steps is 10,000 -- but that figure reportedly originally came from a 1960s marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer. To find a more scientific target, an international team of researchers sifted through 57 previous studies that covered 160,000 people. The results published in the Lancet Public Health journal found that walking 7,000 steps a day nearly halved people's risk of early death from all causes, compared to 2,000 steps. The study also looked into health problems not previously covered by research into step counts. Walking 7,000 steps a day was linked to people's risk of dementia falling by 38 percent, depression dropping 22 percent and diabetes decreasing 14 percent. It was also associated with lower rates of cancer and falls, though the researchers warned this was based on less evidence. "You don't need to hit 10,000 steps a day to get major health benefits," Paddy Dempsey, a study co-author and medical researcher at Cambridge University, told AFP. "The biggest gains happen before 7,000 steps, and then benefits tend to level off," he said. While people's speeds vary widely, 7,000 steps adds up to roughly an hour of walking throughout the day. Dempsey emphasised that people already managing 10,000 or more steps should keep it up. But he had a message for people who might find 7,000 steps daunting: "don't be discouraged". "If you're only getting 2,000–3,000 steps a day, aim to add an extra 1,000 steps. That's just 10–15 minutes of light walking spread across the day," he said. Andrew Scott, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth not involved in the study, said that "it demonstrates that overall more is always better". "People should not focus too much on the numbers, particularly on days where activity is limited," he added. The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity a week. Nearly a third of people worldwide do not reach this target, according to the WHO. © 2025 AFP
