Govt. Wants More Men To Take Paternity Leave


Govt. wants more men to take paternity leave

Japan's labor and welfare ministry has started studying ways to encourage more men to take paternity leave.

A ministry survey last year showed that 7.48 percent of eligible men took paternity leave compared to 83 percent of women.

The ministry plans to discuss the creation of a program that would allow men to take leave more easily right after their child is born.

The ministry will also consider increasing the number of times they can take leave. Currently, men are granted a second period if they take no more than eight weeks off starting from the time their child is born.

The ministry says it will study ways to encourage businesses to publicize the rate of workers who take childcare leave.