Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced on Wednesday that he will obtain a two-week paternity leave spread over three months to care for his child, who is expected to be born later this month, and that during the leave's request he will take into account his parliamentary and governmental duties.
"Requesting the leave was a difficult decision for me, but I am moving forward with a plan to pave the way for other employees in my ministry and parents working in other places. I had to think repeatedly about the way I would get a leave to take care of a child or take leave," he added. Parenting while performing my public duty as Minister of the Environment. "
Koizumi seeks to set a good example for working parents in Japan, where men are largely absent from their child care roles, and he says, "Unless we change the atmosphere, government officials may not start taking paternity leave."
The Associated Press indicated that the government recently started promoting paternity leave in light of the country's suffering from aging populations and declining birth rates, and last month adopted a policy that allows male employees to obtain paternity leave for more than a month.
Japan is well known for its generous paternity leave systems and it allows men and women partly paid leave of up to 12 months, but a small number of parents who have children leave on vacation under severe work pressure.
Many working parents avoid taking paternity leave for fear of its impact on their careers, and those hoping to take leave often face warnings from their bosses or colleagues.