The hashtag #KozurekaigiOK, which translates roughly as “It’s OK to bring a child to a meeting,” began trending in late November. The trigger was a female politician’s decision to bring her child to a Kumamoto assembly session, which sparked a nationwide debate on child care options for parents juggling work and family responsibilities.
While the discourse on adequate child care and work-life policies for parents, particularly mothers, isn’t new to Japan, the politician’s actions caused a stir online.
Hiroki Komazaki, founder of NPO Florence, which provides accessible medical and child care solutions, penned an article titled, “Is it wrong to bring a baby to a meeting?” and tweeted his support for the hashtag, adding that he hoped the practice of allowing children in professional settings such as meetings, interviews and lectures would spread.