KYOTO - Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, plans to take maternity leave as she is due to give birth in September, in what the city said could be the first case of maternity leave taken by an incumbent mayor in Japan.
The country's youngest female mayor is also considering taking child care leave, following maternity leave of six to eight weeks before birth and eight weeks after, she told reporters Thursday.
During her leave, the city's deputy mayor will serve as acting mayor, while Kawata plans to handle important matters online, she said.
Kawata said she is preparing so that the municipal government will face no delays in implementing its policies, adding that taking maternity leave will show that women in decision-making positions can do so.
"I hope my planned leave contributes to a society in which both men and women can participate fully," she said.
Kawata, a Nara native and Kyoto University graduate, worked for the Kyoto city government before serving as a House of Councillors lawmaker's secretary. She won the Yawata mayoral election in November 2023 as an independent at age 33.
