On June 3, 2021, the House of Representatives plenary session passed and enacted the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law, which establishes a new “male version of maternity leave” to make it easier for fathers to take time off immediately after the birth of their children.
Companies will be required to encourage each employee who has a child to take maternity leave. The aim is to encourage husbands to participate in housework and childcare, which tends to be dominated by wives, and to raise the percentage of men taking childcare leave from 7.48% in fiscal 2019 to 30% by 2025.
The male version of maternity leave is a special measure of maternity leave that allows a man to take a total of four weeks off within eight weeks of the birth of his child. Only husbands can use this system, and they can take up to two separate leaves. The deadline for applying for childcare leave is one month in advance, but the deadline has been shortened to two weeks to make it easier to take time off. With childcare leave benefits and exemption from social insurance premiums, up to 80% of the actual wages will be covered, just like the regular system. The new system is expected to take effect in October 2022.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, many husbands want to take time off immediately after their wives give birth, when postpartum depression is more likely to occur, and couples whose husbands are involved in housework and childcare tend to have two or more children. During deliberations in the Diet, it was pointed out that this was a “preferential treatment” for men, but the ministry explained that encouraging husbands to take maternity leave would reduce the burden on wives and help them continue their careers and counter the declining birthrate.
The revised law also strengthens the responsibility of companies. From April 2022, it will be mandatory for companies to inform their employees about the maternity leave system and confirm their intentions, which is currently only an effort. The aim is to create an environment where it is easy to take time off, along with in-house training and consultation services.
In addition, it will be possible for married couples to take up to two installments of the standard childcare leave, which in principle can only be taken once before the child turns one year old. Large companies with more than 1,000 employees will also be required to disclose the status of employees taking childcare leave starting in April 2023.
