1st Sitting Japanese Mayor to Take Maternity Leave

Yawata, Kyoto Pref., May 21 (Jiji Press)–A city mayor in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, said Thursday that she will take maternity leave from this summer. Shoko Kawata, the 35-year-old mayor of Yawata, is believed to be the first sitting mayor in Japan to take maternity leave, according to the city. She is currently the youngest mayor in the country. Kawata got married last December and is expected to give birth in mid-September. She plans to take six to eight weeks of leave before delivery and eight weeks after. “I’m surprised to hear that this will be the first case of (a mayor) taking maternity leave after taking office,” Kawata told reporters. “I’m making arrangements to avoid affecting city administration or the implementation of my campaign pledges.” During her leave, the city’s deputy mayor will serve as an acting mayor. Kawata will receive updates online and in other ways. The mayor also plans to take parental leave after her delivery but will work shorter hours or online without appointing an acting mayor. In the November 2023 mayoral race in Yamawa, Kawata ran as an independent and won her first election. Before the election, she worked for the Kyoto city government and as a secretary to a House of Councillors lawmaker after graduating from Kyoto University. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]