Shoko Kawata, Japan's youngest female mayor at 35, is set to make history by becoming the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave.
Shoko Kawata will take a total of 16 weeks off
Jun 08, 2026
03:40 pm
What's the storyShoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata City in Kyoto Prefecture, has announced her decision to take maternity leave.
Elected in 2023, she is due to give birth in mid-September and will take a total of 16 weeks off: eight weeks before and eight after childbirth.
A Japanese mayor is making history — by taking maternity leave | CNN
A Japanese mayor is making history - by taking maternity leave for the first time | CNN
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Japan’s youngest elected female mayor is making history again – by taking time off to become a first-time mom.
Japan’s youngest elected female mayor is making history again – by taking time off to become a first-time mom.
Critics say Shoko Kawata getting pregnant and going on leave during a fixed political term is ‘irresponsible’
Yawata, Kyoto Pref., May 21 (Jiji Press)--A city mayor in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, said Thursday that she will take…
Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata in the west of Japan , revealed in May that she would be taking eight weeks off before and…
A Japanese mayor will take maternity leave this year, becoming the first in the country's history to do so while in office.
