Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's proposal to have companies expand child care leave to three years is upsetting some personnel departments because it runs counter to current programs that support working mothers and fathers.
Abe's call has also met with complaints from working mothers who argue they instead need greater support when returning to the office. But others have backed the idea because it could help them to strike a better balance between work and parenting.
At an April 19 news conference, Abe announced he had urged the nation's three major business groups to allow employees to focus on their children instead of their work until they reach age 3, instead of 18 months under the existing law. The government would provide subsidies to firms that promote the plan, he added.