Hi Sylvia,
Those ships you mentioned wouldn't have been NZS by any chance. If so, if he was at sea until '79, was he with P&O GCD? I spent time on the Japan/Gulf run on the BI N class ships, then on two "Superstraths", then two years on the Strathcarron. My wife was on board the 'Carron for a lot of the time. She used to be s telex operator for the agents in Kobe. Have been back to Japan a few times since leaving the sea. Would recommend anyone to visit and wonder. We used to stay in her mum and dads old house as her brother used to look after it, but he passed away awhile ago and the house was sold, so we stay in Airbnb now. The last time we went was in the May and we stopped for a month. It was quite cheap as the air fair was about £850 and the accommodation was about £650. Food and travelling about put a fair chunk on to that though.
Can't remember your husbands name, but if he was on the Japan run, could have bumped in to him.
Geoff.