Japan's first mayor to take maternity leave lands on TIME100 Next list

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata City in Kyoto prefecture, has been named to TIME Magazine’s TIME100 Next list after becoming Japan’s first mayor to take maternity leave. The recognition comes shortly after the 36-year-old gave birth to her first child on 15 September. Kawata’s leave had already become a national talking point in Japan, where birth rates remain a concern and there is no legal framework specifically covering maternity leave for local elected officials.

According to the BBC, Kawata’s decision prompted both praise and criticism. Supporters said she was setting a positive example for working mothers and could make politics more accessible to women. Critics argued that elected officials should not step away from public duties, with some saying salaries should be reduced or that politicians seeking extended leave should resign.

Before giving birth, Kawata told the BBC that criticism of politicians taking maternity leave would effectively shut out women of childbearing age from public office. To manage her absence, she arranged for deputy mayor Shigeto Nose to take over her authority for 16 weeks while she worked remotely when possible.

The case matters because it highlights how Japan’s political institutions are adapting, or not adapting, to family life at a time when the country is trying to address low birth rates and encourage broader participation by women in public life.