Japanese mayor becomes country’s first sitting mayor to take maternity leave

The mayor of a small ​Japanese city became the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave on Monday, a decision that ‌has drawn some criticism at home and attracted international media attention, Reuters writes.

Shoko Kawata, mayor of Yawata, a city of around 69,000 people in western Japan, said she had planned to have children when she became Japan’s youngest female mayor in 2023 at the age of 33.

However, while 16 weeks of maternity leave are guaranteed ​for Yawata city employees, no such protocol existed for the mayoral position, she said, forcing her to create one.

“I was ​very surprised myself to learn that I am the first mayor to (take maternity leave). It made me realize ⁠that until now there simply haven’t been many young women, or women in general, who have become mayors,” Kawata told Reuters at ​Yawata City Hall on Friday.

Kawata said most local residents supported her and colleagues encouraged her to take the leave, but she was disappointed by some online criticism that came with the extensive media coverage of her leave. Her baby ​is due in September.