# Japan’s first sitting mayor to take maternity leave has been named on TIME magazine’s TIME100 Next list of rising global leaders. The 36-year-old mayor of Yawata, Shoko Kawata, became the country’s youngest female mayor when elected in 2023. She took maternity leave in July and gave birth to her first child, a girl, last month. Kawata transferred her authority to her deputy for 16 weeks while continuing to work remotely when possible. Her decision sparked debate in Japan, where elected mayors are not covered by legal maternity-leave protections.
Japanese mayor who took maternity leave named on TIME100 Next