OSAKA - The issue surrounding rules related to pregnancy and childbirth in professional shogi has drawn renewed attention, with leading female player Kana Fukuma expressing lingering concerns over newly proposed revisions despite acknowledging some progress.
Fukuma, who holds five major women’s titles, said during a press conference held on May 3rd that after carefully reviewing the contents of the final report by a review committee, “there are still some areas where concerns remain.”
At the center of the controversy was a rule set by the Japan Shogi Association stating that if any part of a title match overlapped with the period from six weeks before childbirth to eight weeks after, the player would be replaced.
Fukuma had previously lost a title by default after being unable to adjust her match schedule due to pregnancy-related health issues. Reflecting on that experience in December last year, she said, “I couldn’t even fully feel happy about what should have been a joyful pregnancy, and at the time it was unbearably painful.”
Based on that experience, Fukuma had called for a revision of the rules, including the introduction of a “provisional champion” system that would allow title holders to retain their status without forfeiting their titles.
In response, the association removed the rule requiring player replacement and, on April 30th, the review committee released its final recommendations. These included establishing a consultation service for pregnancy and childbirth-related matters and adjusting match schedules in principle until the start of the next tournament cycle.
However, as alternative measures in cases where scheduling adjustments are not possible, the committee did not adopt the provisional champion system requested by Fukuma. Instead, it presented three options, including granting seeded status in the following tournament cycle.
While offering a certain level of support for the revised proposals, Fukuma expressed concern that under the seeding system, players would still effectively lose their titles.
“My honest feeling is that there are still aspects where concerns cannot be fully dispelled,” Fukuma said. “I hope the rules will evolve in a way that does not make players hesitate between competing in shogi and wanting to have children.”
Fukuma said she intends to closely monitor both the final formulation of the rules and how they are implemented in practice going forward.
Source: KTV NEWS
