Japan’s First Mayor to Take Maternity Leave Lands on TIME100 Next List
Shoko Kawata, Japan's first mayor to take maternity leave, has been named one of the 100 most influential rising stars by TIME Magazine.
The recognition comes weeks after the 36-year-old gave birth to her first child on 15 September.
Earlier this year, Kawata, mayor of Yawata City in Kyoto prefecture, sparked a nationwide debate about whether elected officials should take time off for childbirth, when she announced her maternity leave.
Her decision drew both support and backlash across Japan, a country struggling to lift its birth rate. Some praised her for prioritizing her family, while others slammed the move as irresponsible, suggesting that officials should resign if they need extended leave.
Kawata braced the criticism by noting that there is currently no legal framework for local elected officials to take maternity leave in Japan. She worked with her office to develop a 16‑week remote‑work plan, transferring authority to her deputy mayor Shigeto Nose.
In a sit‑down interview with the BBC before giving birth, she emphasized that taking maternity leave does not diminish her commitment to public service. “If we criticize politicians taking maternity leave, we are effectively excluding women in their 20s through 40s from public office,” she said.
On 15 September, she announced she had given birth to a baby girl, posting a photo on X to thank supporters and reaffirm her goal to advocate for social issues nationwide.
“I want to confront the many challenges facing parents and children today from that same perspective, as someone living through them myself, and think about how we can find a way forward together,” she wrote.
