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Japan Mayor Who Took Maternity Leave Named to Time’s List of Most Influential
Time said Kawata’s maternity leave and family-friendly policies show how Japan can become more livable for families.
- On Wednesday, TIME Magazine named Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, to its Time 100 Next list, recognizing her as Japan's first incumbent mayor to take maternity leave.
- Earlier this year, Kawata sparked a national debate after announcing she would take maternity leave, as Japan provides no legal framework for elected officials to take leave; she created an unprecedented plan transferring authority to deputy mayor Shigeto Nose for 16 weeks while managing duties remotely.
- Kawata gave birth to her first child on September 15, with her leave scheduled through November 8; critics argued stepping away was "irresponsible" and that she "should have done so before taking office."
- Responding to backlash, Kawata countered that criticizing maternity leave "effectively excludes all women in their 20s through 40s from public office," while TIME praised her family-friendly policies including reduced school lunch costs.
- The backlash illuminates pressure working women in Japan face amid a demographic crisis, as Kawata stated she aims to "confront the many challenges facing parents and children today" by integrating her experience into policy.
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Yawata Mayor Shoko Kawata has been named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential rising stars of the future by becoming the first mayor in Japan to decide on maternity leave.
Shoko Kawata, 36 years old, guides Yawata. She is the youngest first citizen (ANSA)
·Rome, Italy
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Mayor of Yawata who took maternity leave among Time's rising stars
Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, believed to be the first incumbent mayor in Japan to take maternity leave, was selected Wednesday in Time magazine's list of 100 of the world's most influential rising stars.
·Tokyo, Japan
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left0Leaning Right2Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
C 67%
R 33%
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