Suga meets with France's Macron as pair affirm security cooperation
The two leaders strengthen bilateral security cooperation as part of efforts to realize a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and touched on the issue of parental abduction in Japan.
Macron to seek talks with Japan on parental child abductions
Often in Japan one of a separated or divorced parental couple lives with their children and, in some cases, the other parent is banned from interacting with them.
French father goes on hunger strike for kids 'abducted' by Japanese wife
The man, who says his children were abducted by their Japanese mother, hopes his protest in Tokyo will bring international attention to his fight to be reunited with his family.
Paid maternity leave saves lives
Without paid leave, mothers often return to work before they are healthy enough to do so, resulting in a ripple effect of postpartum health complications.
Almost 45% of Japanese feel it is difficult to receive infertility treatment, survey shows
The survey showed that 44.6% of respondents said they think it is not easy to be treated for infertility. That compared with rates of 12.3% in France, 16.6% in Germany and 10% in Sweden.
China’s three-child policy won’t help
But a below-replacement fertility rate is only one part of China’s demographic problem. A second issue is the sheer size of its older population.
Fresh enthusiasm for paternity leave among city officials in Chiba
Of workers eligible to take the leave, 92.3% in fiscal 2019 made use of it — up from just 28.7% in fiscal 2017.
Japan enacts law making paternity leave more flexible for men
The program, expected to be launched in October next year, will also allow fathers to give shorter prior notice to their employers of their intention to take the leave.
China’s decision to relax birth rules by allowing all families to have three children was met with skepticism from economists who doubt it’ll make much of a difference.
Record low number of pregnancies reported in Japan in 2020 amid pandemic
Municipalities across Japan recorded 872,227 pregnancies last year, down 4.8% from a year before.
Growing number of Japanese children playing video games on school days
Of the fourth graders surveyed, 38.7% said they play games for an hour or more but less than two hours on school days.
The challenges of vaccinating children against COVID-19 in Japan
Trust issues and safety concerns loom as potential hurdles as Japan looks to follow the United States and provide shots for the young.
