Recent years have seen an increase in fathers who try to share in the raising of their children — an activity that even university students are starting to encourage.
The group Fathering Japan Student's, which aims to teach future parents the importance of a father's role in child-rearing, held an event in Tokyo on Dec. 16 to solicit new members.
The gathering was attended by 20 students who came to hear from and exchange views with child-rearing fathers, who have come to acquire the nickname "ikumen" — a term coined by the Hakuhodo advertising agency, combining "ikuji" (child-rearing) and men.