Photo By Grady Fontana | Japanese local national Endo Munenori, a tanker operations officer with Military...... read more read more
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A Japanese local national assigned to Military Sealift Command Ship Support Unit Japan marked his 41st year with the command June 2, 2026, and reflected on the many changes that have occurred over the years.
Endo Munenori, a tanker operations officer at SSU Japan, began working for MSC on June 2, 1985, at Yokohama North Dock in Yokohama, Japan, when the command was headquartered there as MSC Far East. Today, MSC Far East is in Singapore, and SSU Japan remains at Yokohama North Dock as a subordinate station of MSC Far East.
MSC was established in 1949 as Military Sea Transportation Service, an amalgamation of the Navy’s Fleet Support Services, the Naval Transportation Service, the Army Transport Service and the U.S. Maritime Commission’s War Shipping Administration during World War II.
The command assumed responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all military services, as well as other government agencies.
The Far East arm of the command was established at Yokohama North Dock in 1950.
In 1969, the command was renamed Military Sea Transportation Service, Far East.
During the Vietnam War, MSTS was renamed Military Sealift Command, and the Yokohama command assumed the title Military Sealift Command, Far East, in 1970.
In line with MSC’s global transformation initiative, MSC Far East was renamed Sealift Logistics Command, Far East, and relocated to Singapore in July 2006.
After an organizational review by Commander, MSC, the name reverted to Military Sealift Command, Far East, in March 2011.
Over the years, Munenori has seen many changes and many people come and go.
In 1985, the office was much larger, with more than 100 people assigned.
“The operations department had more than 20 people,” Munenori said. “Now there are three. The commanding officer was a Navy captain. Now, the director is a lieutenant commander.”
Despite the changes, Munenori said the job remains the same.
“We are still building schedules, making orders and coordinating with the Defense Logistics Agency,” Munenori said. “It is still the same. When I was here with MSC Far East, we did the same thing.”
Munenori said the biggest difference is the speed of communication.
“Now you have email and personal computers,” Munenori said. “Before, everything was done on typewriters, telephones and fax machines.”
Munenori said he enjoys working for MSC.
“I’ve been here for more than 40 years,” Munenori said. “It’s nice to work here.”
His 40-plus years of experience are a valuable asset to SSU Japan.
“Coming to SSU Japan from MSC Far East in Singapore, I had heard rumors of the wealth of knowledge Munenori-san possessed,” said Lt. Cmdr. Conor L. McNamara, director of SSU Japan. “But to witness it in person is magical.”
Today, MSC Far East’s area of responsibility, aligned with U.S. 7th Fleet, includes more than 52 million square miles of the Pacific and Indian oceans, stretching from the International Date Line to 68 degrees east longitude in the Indian Ocean, and from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2026 20:16 |
| Story ID: | 567518 |
| Location: | YOKOHAMA, JP |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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