Why did only 2% of new fathers in Japan take paternity leave last year?
This article is published in collaboration with Quartz.
When 34-year-old Kensuke Miyazaki becomes a father next month, he’s going to take time off from work—becoming the only member of Japanese parliament, ever, to take advantage of his country’s generous paternity leave policy.
“I thought by declaring that I want to take paternity leave as a lawmaker, I could set an example and cause a bit of a stir,” Myazaki, who plans to take one month off, told the BBC.
Miyazaki has been criticized by his colleagues in parliament who say that his upcoming time off will damage his party’s effectiveness, should he miss an important vote. Miyazaki, whose wife, Megumi Kaneko, is also a member of parliament, plans to take one month off after the birth of their child.
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Author: Svati Narula is a reporter for Quartz in New York.
Image: Businessmen walk behind a Japanese national flag at a convention centre in Tokyo. REUTERS/Toru Hanai.
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