YAWATA, Japan: The mayor of a small city in Japan became the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave on July 20. The move has received some criticism within Japan and has also drawn attention from international media.

Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, a city of about 69,000 people in western Japan, said she had always planned to have children. She became Japan's youngest female mayor in 2023 at the age of 33.

She explained that while city employees in Yawata are guaranteed 16 weeks of maternity leave, there had never been any such rule for a mayor. Because of this, she had to create a system for her own leave.

Kawata said she was very surprised to learn that she was the first mayor in Japan to take maternity leave. She added that this made her realize that very few young women, or women in general, had become mayors in the country.

One of her last public appearances before starting her leave was on Friday, when she joined a street procession ahead of Yawata's Taiko festival. Usually, the mayor rides atop a mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine, as part of the tradition. However, because she is heavily pregnant, Kawata chose to walk behind it instead.

Although Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister last year, the country still has a large gender gap, especially in politics, which men mostly dominate. Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's latest gender gap report, and even lower, at 125th, in the category of political empowerment.

Kawata said there is still a strong need for reform, especially as Japan faces an aging population and one of the lowest birth rates in the world. She noted that Japanese women are legally entitled to about 14 weeks of maternity leave, usually paid at around two-thirds of their salary along with a birth bonus, although some government workers receive better benefits.

She said that while people often talk about gender equality and changes in work culture, there is a need to build a society where people in all professions, including leadership roles, feel comfortable having children. She added that without such changes, Japan would continue to face population decline due to falling birth rates, which could lead to economic problems.

Kawata said that most residents supported her decision and that her colleagues had encouraged her to take leave. However, she also expressed disappointment at some of the criticism she received online after the media widely reported on her decision. Her baby is expected in September.

She said that many people who had never heard of her before learned about her only through reports focused on her maternity leave. She added that some online comments accused her of not doing her job and suggested she was only in the position to take leave, which she found disappointing.

Most Yawata residents interviewed said they supported her decision. However, some people raised concerns about the continued receipt of her full salary while on leave.

One resident and homemaker, Chie Fujita, said that as a woman who had given birth herself, she believed Kawata had the right to take time off. At the same time, she said she did not agree with the mayor receiving 100 percent of her salary during her leave.