Japanese mayor makes history with maternity leave that caused a stir
Kawata created a leave protocol after finding none for mayors, drawing mixed local reaction as she said reforms are needed to support childbearing leaders.
- On Monday, July 20, 2026, Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata became the first sitting mayor in Japan to take maternity leave, leading the city of around 69,000 people.
- While Yawata city employees are guaranteed 16 weeks of maternity leave, no such protocol existed for the mayoral position, forcing Kawata to create one.
- Japan ranked 125th in political empowerment in the World Economic Forum's recent gender gap report, and Kawata noted that few women have historically served as mayors.
- Most residents support the decision, but Kawata faced online criticism; local resident Chie Fujita questioned the mayor receiving "100% of it while she's on leave."
- Kawata argued that leaders across professions must feel comfortable starting families, warning that without societal reform, "continual population decline resulting from falling birth rates, and the resulting economic deterioration are inevitable.
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Shoko Kawata, 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, will be on leave until November, with full pay, which sparked some controversy in the country.
Shoko Kawata, 36, has had to create a new protocol for her position, faced with the sharp gender gap in Japanese politics and online criticism.
The premiere of a small town in Japan became the first city in Japan based on the history of the country that went on maternity leave, a decision that stirred up some internal critics and attracted the attention of the international press, reports Reuters. Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, said he wanted to have children...
Japanese mayor makes history with maternity leave
Yawata city mayor Shoko Kawata is due to give birth in September. Photo: Reuters The mayor of a small Japanese city has became the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave - a decision that has drawn some criticism at home and attracted international media attention.
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