Govt. drafts male childcare leave plan

NHK -- Jan 25

Japan's government has drafted a law revision to encourage more men to take paternity leave.

Under the draft, men would be able to take four weeks' leave within eight weeks from childbirth. The leave could be split into two periods.

Applying for such leave could be done two weeks ahead of time, down from the current one month.

The revised bill would require businesses to have their employees informed about the measures. Big companies would be obliged to publicize how many workers take leave.

The government aims to increase the proportion of workers who take paternity leave to 30 percent by 2025. The figure was 7.48 percent in the fiscal year that ended last March.

The government plans to submit the draft bill at the current session of the Diet.