In a rare development, a Sri Lankan technical trainee working in Japan obtained maternity leave and gave birth to a child in the country in March, her labor union said Thursday.

The woman, who works for the Tokyo-based Negishi Food Service, the operator of a restaurant chain, wishes to return to work and take child care leave. The company plans to grant the woman's request, but since foreign trainees are usually not allowed to bring their families to Japan, her child could be sent home soon.

Foreign trainees who work under the government-sponsored technical internship program are entitled to take maternity and child care leave just like Japanese workers, but according to the General Support Union to which the 29-year-old trainee belongs, it is rare for foreign trainees to actually take the leave.