The mayor of a small town in western Japan has found herself at the centre of a national debate after announcing plans to take maternity leave while in office.
Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, south of Kyoto, said she expected some people to question her decision. Instead, the announcement triggered widespread discussion across Japan about whether elected officials should take time off to have children.
“I was so surprised because the reaction was so big,” Kawata told the BBC.
Kawata is due to give birth in mid-September and plans to step away from her duties for two months before the birth and another two months afterward.
Because Japan has no legal framework allowing elected local officials to officially take maternity leave, she will not be on formal leave. Instead, Deputy Mayor Shigeto Nose will carry out her responsibilities while she is away.
Speaking at City Hall, Kawata said her colleagues had supported the decision from the start.
“Everyone at work was supportive,” she said.
Public reaction, however, has been sharply divided.
Some people praised the mayor for choosing both family and public service, saying her decision could encourage more women to enter politics and help change attitudes toward pregnancy in the workplace.
Others argued that stepping away from office was irresponsible. Some said she should have had children before becoming mayor, while others suggested her salary should be reduced during her absence.
Kawata dismissed the criticism, saying women should not have to choose between public service and motherhood.
“If we were to criticise politicians taking maternity leave, it means we are effectively excluding all women in their 20s through 40s women who are capable of becoming pregnant from public office,” she said.
Her decision comes as Japan continues to struggle with a falling birth rate and faces growing calls to make it easier for women to balance careers and family life.
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Former Akitakata mayor Shinji Ishimaru said the discussion should focus on ensuring government work continues smoothly rather than questioning maternity leave itself.
“People agree maternity leave is good,” he said on his YouTube channel, adding that the priority should be finding a system that allows public services to continue without disruption.
Kawata became Japan’s youngest female city mayor at the age of 33 after graduating from Kyoto University with a degree in economics and building a career in local government.
Women remain heavily underrepresented in Japanese politics. Government figures show that only about 4% of the country’s 1,720 municipal leaders are women.
A Cabinet Office survey released last year identified pregnancy, the belief that politics is a man’s job, and harassment as major reasons why fewer women enter politics.
Japan also continues to rank poorly on gender equality. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Gender Gap Report, the country ranked 118th out of 146 nations, the lowest among G7 countries.
Deputy Mayor Shigeto Nose, who will oversee the town during Kawata’s absence, admitted attitudes toward parenting have changed since he became a father.
“When I came home, I was tired. Even if the baby cried during the night, I left it to my wife. Looking back now, I genuinely feel that’s something I should reflect on,” he said.
He said his son-in-law is now taking six months of parental leave to help care for his growing family.
“Seeing that makes me happy. Times have really changed and it’s great to see them working together like that,” he added.
Kawata hopes her decision will help normalise the idea that women can build both a family and a political career.
“I think we really need to create a society where it’s so common for women to do both and not have to choose between working and having a family,” she said.
