Shoko Kawata, mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, became the first sitting mayor in Japan to take maternity leave on Monday, drawing some criticism at home while attracting international attention.
Kawata became Japan's youngest female mayor in 2023 at age 33. While city employees receive 16 weeks of guaranteed maternity leave, no protocol existed for the mayoral position, so she created one.
Before starting leave on Monday, she took part in a street procession for Yawata's Taiko festival on Friday, walking behind the mikoshi due to her pregnancy. Her baby is due in September.
"I was very surprised myself to learn that I am the first mayor to take maternity leave," Kawata told Reuters at Yawata City Hall. She noted that few young women have become mayors until now. Most residents voiced support, though some online criticism focused on her receiving full salary.
Local resident and homemaker Chie Fujita said she supports the leave as a woman's right but disagrees with 100 percent pay during absence. Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s most recent gender gap report.
