Paternity leave still not widely embraced in Japan, survey shows
With the number of male workers who take child care leave showing no notable growth, the government's goal of raising the share of eligible men taking such leave to 13 percent in 2020 remains far out of reach. According to a labor ministry survey for ...
Japan pushes male public servants to take longer paternity leave
The government will encourage its eligible male personnel to use child-rearing leave for at least a month in principle, starting in fiscal 2020. Although the number of government employees taking paternity leave has been increasing, the period booked is shorter than a month in most ...
Family dynamic shifts as schools remain closed nationwide
Japanese dads are coming under scrutiny — again. Ever since Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi officially made ikumen (men who take an active role in child-rearing) fashionable by publicly taking two weeks off for paternity leave, fathers who let their spouses shoulder all the burden ...
Fathers at many Japanese firms take less than month of paternity leave
The average period of paternity leave taken by new fathers is shorter than the period widely viewed as necessary to support postpartum mothers at more than half of large Japanese firms, a Kyodo News survey has shown. In a survey of 110 big companies, 64 ...
Japan Inc. urged to change entrenched views of paternity leave
As one of the country's most high-profile politicians breaks new ground for a Cabinet minister by taking paternity leave, some lawmakers and businesses are aiming to change the way corporate Japan views time off for new dads. Although Japan leads the world in paid-leave provisions ...
Can Japan kick-start paternity leave among workaholic dads?
In January, Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi received worldwide attention after surprising the public with his plan to take parental leave shortly before the birth of his first child. As the son of a former prime minister, Koizumi, 38, is a high-profile politician described as the ...
Shinjiro Koizumi's paternity leave raises a few eyebrows
Shortly before Shinjiro Koizumi’s wife, Christel Takigawa, gave birth to a baby boy last month, the environment minister told reporters during a regular news conference he would be taking time off for paternity leave. It was a revelation that surprised some because after the ...
Even on paternity leave, 32% of Japanese moms say dads don't help much with housework
The government has been pushing for fathers to take paternity leave as Japan faces a demographic crisis, yet a new wrinkle has emerged: Almost one-third of mothers report that their partners do little to help out around the house while they're off work. Of 508 ...
Paternity leave controversy: It's time to walk the talk
Leading by example, Koizumi and his colleagues in the government may have a chance to change the mindsets of Japanese men about work and fatherhood.
It’s a boy! Christel Takigawa, wife of minister Shinjiro Koizumi, gives birth
Christel Takigawa, a freelance TV newscaster and wife of Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, gave birth to a boy early Friday morning. "I'm happy and reassured to say a healthy baby boy was born early today," Koizumi told members of the press Friday morning. "Thankfully, both ...
Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said he will take paternity leave later this month, a rare move in a country where most men do not take the time off.
