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Japanese Mayor Announces 16-Week Maternity Leave
The mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture will take eight weeks of leave before and after childbirth. The decision marks the first time a sitting mayor in Japan has scheduled maternity leave.
May 29, 1:49 AM·1m read1 source
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The mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture announced plans to take 16 weeks of maternity leave, eight weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth. The leave period begins ahead of a mid-September due date. The announcement makes the mayor the first sitting mayor in Japan to schedule maternity leave. The mayor was elected in 2023 at age 33, becoming Japan's youngest female mayor at the time.
Japan recorded an estimated 705,809 births in 2025, the lowest annual total since records began in 1899. The figure marks the tenth consecutive year of decline. The mayor's decision has drawn national attention to how public offices accommodate pregnancy and recovery. Officials have not yet stated whether additional staffing measures will be implemented during the leave period.
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