NYK Promotes Its First Woman Captain

Posted by Eric Haun April 11, 2017

On April 1, a deck officer named Tomoko Konishi became the first woman in NYK’s 132-year history to be promoted to the rank of captain.

Konishi joined NYK in 2004 after she graduated from the National Institute of Technology, Toba College in Mie prefecture. Since then, she has worked aboard containerships, pure car and truck carriers, and LNG carriers, among others, as a pioneering female officer. She has been active in a number of fields and has also used her onboard experiences in office work.

In 2004, NYK became the first major Japanese oceangoing company to accept female officers, and since then their numbers have continued to rise. The company currently has 14 working all over the world at sea and on land.

History of Japanese Officers at NYK

1885: NYK Line founded
1920: Japanese officers total about 1,400 in all positions, i.e., captains, chief engineers, telecommunications chiefs, pursers, etc.
2004: NYK becomes first major Japanese oceangoing company to accept female officers
2006: NYK begins program to allow graduates from non-maritime colleges/universities to begin officer training after joining the company
2017: Woman promoted to rank of captain for the first time in NYK’s 132-year history