Shoko Kawata, Japan's youngest female mayor, has made history by becoming the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave. Elected in 2023 at the age of 33, Kawata's decision is being seen as a landmark moment in a nation where women continue to face significant workplace and political barriers. The move has sparked conversations about gender equality, work-life balance, and the challenges faced by working mothers in Japan. This report looks at why Kawata's decision is drawing national attention and what it could mean for the future of women in leadership.

Kawata Defies Traditional Norms: Becomes First Japanese Mayor To Avail Maternity Leave

Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in&nbsp;Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees.

The committee, as per a Japan Times report, identified 99 acts, including patting the heads and buttocks of female staff members.

<h2>'Inappropriate' behaviour</h2>

The third-party committee on Tuesday (Feb 27) published its report on the various sexual harassment complaints against Kojima.&nbsp;

It identified 99 acts of harassment, including touching their heads or buttocks, forcing them to lift their skirts and exposing his chest and legs to them. The report also makes mention of sexual comments and behaviour it deems "inappropriate" for a town mayor.

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Some of these acts, as per the report, fall within the legal definition of indecent assault.

The report was based on the survey of 161 of the 193 employees working under Kojima—80 men and 81 women.&nbsp;

58 per cent of women and 53.7 per cent of men said that the mayor made them feel uncomfortable. 85 per cent of men and 81.4 per cent of women said they had seen him sexually harassing and/or verbally abusing members of the staff.

These findings, as per the report, point to no other alternative but Kojima's immediate resignation.

<h2>Mayor alleges 'bias'</h2>

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, 74-year-old Kojima, who was elected in&nbsp;November 2020 and was serving his first term,&nbsp;refuted the committee's report and called it "biased".

"I think the report of this investigation committee lacks neutrality. It is biased. I think it would have been better if there had been more careful explanations in the investigation."

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"It is written in a one-sided way. I think the investigation report was done with sexual harassment in mind from the beginning. It doesn’t feel right," added Kojima.

While he acknowledged that patting the heads of female staff was indeed an act of sexual harassment, he denied some claims in the report, such as hugging female employees.&nbsp;

Teary-eyed, he apologised and said: "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I will resign."

"After receiving phone calls from townspeople and seeing news reports, I decided it was time to move on," he added.

The resignation is yet to be finalised and needs the consent of the town assembly, which will meet on Friday (March 1). If finalised, the mayoral election is expected to be held by the end of April.

(With inputs from agencies)

Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees.

Hideo Kojima, the mayor of the Japanese town of Ginan in Gifu Prefecture on Thursday (Feb 29) submitted his resignation after a third-party committee found him guilty of sexually harassing a number of his female employees. The committee, as per a Japan Times report, identified 99 acts, including patting the heads and buttocks of female staff members. 'Inappropriate' behaviour The third-party committee on Tuesday (Feb 27) published its report on the various sexual harassment complaints against Kojima. It identified 99 acts of harassment, including touching their heads or buttocks, forcing them to lift their skirts and exposing his chest and legs to them. The report also makes mention of sexual comments and behaviour it deems "inappropriate" for a town mayor. Also read | 'Love conquers all': UK man legally dead for 50 mins comes back to life. Here's the miraculous story Some of these acts, as per the report, fall within the legal definition of indecent assault. The report was based on the survey of 161 of the 193 employees working under Kojima—80 men and 81 women. 58 per cent of women and 53.7 per cent of men said that the mayor made them feel uncomfortable. 85 per cent of men and 81.4 per cent of women said they had seen him sexually harassing and/or verbally abusing members of the staff. These findings, as per the report, point to no other alternative but Kojima's immediate resignation. Mayor alleges 'bias' Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, 74-year-old Kojima, who was elected in November 2020 and was serving his first term, refuted the committee's report and called it "biased". "I think the report of this investigation committee lacks neutrality. It is biased. I think it would have been better if there had been more careful explanations in the investigation." Also read | 'Live long and prosper': Star Trek may hold the key to effectively communicating with AI chatbots "It is written in a one-sided way. I think the investigation report was done with sexual harassment in mind from the beginning. It doesn’t feel right," added Kojima. While he acknowledged that patting the heads of female staff was indeed an act of sexual harassment, he denied some claims in the report, such as hugging female employees. Teary-eyed, he apologised and said: "I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. I will resign." "After receiving phone calls from townspeople and seeing news reports, I decided it was time to move on," he added. The resignation is yet to be finalised and needs the consent of the town assembly, which will meet on Friday (March 1). If finalised, the mayoral election is expected to be held by the end of April. (With inputs from agencies)

'Sorry for the trouble': Mayor of a Japanese town resigns after probe identifies 99 acts of sexual harassment

The mayor of Japan's Osaka came under fire after he made sexist comments amid coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to reporters on Thursday,&nbsp;Ichiro Matsui said that women should refrain from grocery shopping as they are "indecisive" and "take a long time".

Men should be entrusted with grocery runs because women "take a long time as they browse around and hesitate about this and that," local media quoted the 56-year-old leader as saying.

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"Men can snap up things they are told (to buy) and go, so I think it's good that they go shopping, avoiding human contact," the Osaka mayor also said.

During the media interaction, Matsui was challenged by a reporter after his statement to which he responded saying that his remarks might be "viewed as out-of-touch, but said they were true in his family."

The statement sparked massive outrage on social media, as people condemned the Japanese leader's statement and accused him of being "disrespectful &nbsp;to women and men."

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Another user on social media said that his comment was "full of prejudice against women". &nbsp;"There are indecisive men and nimble and sharp women," the user added.&nbsp;

Japan is under a state of emergency over the pandemic, and residents in some areas have been asked to shop less frequently and only send one family member out to get supplies to limit contact.

Despite its highly educated female population, Japan ranked 121 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2020 gender gap index, primarily because of its poor showing in political representation.

Traditional gender roles are still deeply rooted in Japanese society and women are often still expected to take primary responsibility for childcare and domestic chores, even while holding down professional jobs.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The mayor of Japan's Osaka came under fire after he made sexist comments amid coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ichiro Matsui said that women should refrain from grocery shopping as they are "indecisive" and "take a long time".

The mayor of Japan's Osaka came under fire after he made sexist comments amid coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ichiro Matsui said that women should refrain from grocery shopping as they are "indecisive" and "take a long time". Men should be entrusted with grocery runs because women "take a long time as they browse around and hesitate about this and that," local media quoted the 56-year-old leader as saying. Also read: Global coronavirus death toll passes 190,000; US has most fatalities with over 50,000 "Men can snap up things they are told (to buy) and go, so I think it's good that they go shopping, avoiding human contact," the Osaka mayor also said. During the media interaction, Matsui was challenged by a reporter after his statement to which he responded saying that his remarks might be "viewed as out-of-touch, but said they were true in his family." The statement sparked massive outrage on social media, as people condemned the Japanese leader's statement and accused him of being "disrespectful to women and men." Also read: China to prosecute American citizen for alleged meddling in Hong Kong Another user on social media said that his comment was "full of prejudice against women". "There are indecisive men and nimble and sharp women," the user added. Japan is under a state of emergency over the pandemic, and residents in some areas have been asked to shop less frequently and only send one family member out to get supplies to limit contact. Despite its highly educated female population, Japan ranked 121 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2020 gender gap index, primarily because of its poor showing in political representation. Traditional gender roles are still deeply rooted in Japanese society and women are often still expected to take primary responsibility for childcare and domestic chores, even while holding down professional jobs. (With inputs from agencies)

Japan: Osaka mayor under fire after he says men should do grocery shopping as women are 'indecisive'

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Kawata Defies Traditional Norms: Becomes First Japanese Mayor To Avail Maternity Leave

'Sorry for the trouble': Mayor of a Japanese town resigns after probe identifies 99 acts of sexual harassment

Japan: Osaka mayor under fire after he says men should do grocery shopping as women are 'indecisive'