Shoko Kawata to Take 4-Month Leave as Japan's First Mayor on Maternity Break

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 2

35-year-old Yawata mayor Shoko Kawata said she will step back for four months around her mid-September due date, becoming the first Japanese mayor to take maternity leave.
No legal framework lets local elected officials formally take such leave, so deputy mayor Shigeto Nose will exercise all mayoral authority and consult Kawata remotely once a week.
Kawata's May announcement triggered a national backlash and support online, with critics calling the move irresponsible while supporters said it could make politics more accessible to women.
Only about 4% of Japan's 1,720 municipal leaders are women, and a 2025 Cabinet Office survey cited pregnancy, harassment and assumptions that politics is a man's job as barriers.
The case has widened debate in Japan, which ranked 118th of 146 countries in the 2025 World Economic Forum gender-gap index, over whether public office can accommodate family life.

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bbc.co.uk5h ago

Shoko Kawata Becomes Japan's First Mayor to Take Maternity Leave

BBC.com5h ago

A mayor in Japan announced her maternity leave - and got the whole country talking

Instagram5h ago

Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, has become Japan's first sitting mayor to take maternity leave. She announced she'll take around two months off before giving birth and another two months after,

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A mayor's historic maternity leave divides Japan. Is motherhood a disqualification for public office?

Can one mayor's leave fix the 'leaky pipeline' keeping Japanese women from top leadership roles?

Shoko Kawata Becomes Japan’s First Sitting Mayor to Take Maternity Leave: Implications for Gender, Policy, and Demographics

Overview

Mayor Shoko Kawata, elected in 2023 as Japan's youngest female mayor, is making history as the first sitting mayor in Japan to take maternity leave. Her 16-week leave, starting before her expected childbirth in September 2026, highlights the lack of legal frameworks for elected leaders' parental leave and the rarity of women in such positions—less than 4 percent of municipal leaders are women. Kawata's decision has prompted special arrangements in Yawata city and sparked national debate, urging experts and organizations to consider new policies. This move signals a significant shift in Japan's political landscape toward greater gender equality.

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