Japan's Paternal Leave Rate Hits Record 40.5 Pct

   Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)--The proportion of male employees in Japan who took parental leave in fiscal 2024 rose 10.4 percentage points from the previous year to a record high of 40.5 pct, a labor ministry survey showed Wednesday.
   The increase in the year that ended last March came as the country started requiring companies to check whether employees wish to take parental leave and introduced a new parental leave initiative in 2022.
   The new initiative enables fathers to take up to four weeks of leave within eight weeks after the birth of a child, in addition to conventional parental leave. The leave can be taken in two installments. About 60 pct of fathers who took parental leave used the initiative.
   The government aims to raise the parental leave rate for men to 50 pct in calendar 2025.
   The survey was conducted last October and received valid responses from 3,383 businesses with five or more employees.

(2025/07/30-17:15)