In 2022, a revised law will come into effect that requires companies to inform men that they can take paternity leave when they report their wives’ pregnancy to the company. It’s a duty of notification from 1st April.

Obligation to improve the employment environment and take individual measures to inform and confirm the intentions of employees

To create an employment environment that facilitates the use of childcare leave, employers must take one of the following measures

1. Conduct training on childcare leave and postpartum father’s leave
2. Establishment of a consultation system, etc. (establishment of a consultation counter)
3. Collection and provision of examples of childcare leave and postnatal parental leave taken by workers in the company
4. Informing the company’s workers about the childcare leave and postnatal parental leave systems and policies for promoting the use of childcare leave

Individual measures for informing and confirming the intention of workers who have proposed pregnancy or childbirth.

Employers must inform workers who report pregnancy or childbirth of their own or their spouse’s childcare leave system, etc., of the following items and confirm their intention to take leave on a case-by-case basis.

The following four items should be made known to the public

(1) System concerning childcare leave and postnatal leave for fathers and fathers after childbirth
(2) Where to apply for childcare leave and postpartum maternity leave for fathers
(3) Matters related to childcare leave benefits
(4) Handling of social insurance premiums to be paid by workers for the period of childcare leave and postnatal leave for fathers

Individual notification ・Method of confirming intentions

(1) In-person (2) In writing (3) By fax (4) By e-mail, etc.
Note: Online interviews are also possible for (1). (3) and (4) are available only if the worker requests them.

Deregulating requirements for fixed-term workers to take childcare/nursing care leave

Before (for childcare leave)
(1) Continuously employed for at least one year
(2)It is not clear that the contract will expire before 1 year and 6 months of age.

From April 1, 2022
Eliminated requirement (1), only (2).
*Treated in the same way as workers hired for indefinite periods
(Workers who have been continuously employed for less than one year can be excluded by concluding a labor-management agreement.)
** Childcare leave benefits are also eased in the same way.

My expectations on the occasion of this legal revision

Invisible bad customs that hinder paternity leave in Japan
I hope this will be an opportunity to break through the “workplace atmosphere.

I didn’t take one with my first child, but with my second child, I took six months’ leave for the first time.

And now, with the birth of my third child, I am taking a whole year off.

Although the rate of men taking paternity leave in Japan is on the rise, I think it is extremely rare for men like me to take more than one paternity leave, for six months or a year.

I’d like to share how I came to take my paternity leave, what I do while on paternity leave, and what it’s like to take paternity leave.

Why did I take paternity leave when I’m a man?

Childcare is much harder work than you think.

And also housework.

I learned this the hard way when I had my first child. I took two weeks off with pay to coincide with the due date.

I am ashamed to admit that at the time, I did not even know that I could take paternity leave.

Moreover, it was only two weeks, compared to the year-long period from newborn to infant, which is one of the most difficult child-rearing periods.
If you’ve ever raised a child, you’ll know what I mean when I say “Just a drop in the bucket”.

It was not enough at all.

When I was able to return to work after my two weeks off, of course, I was as busy as ever, working overtime almost every day.

When I got home, I was so exhausted that I didn’t have enough energy to do housework and childcare.
In addition, my eldest daughter’s continuous nighttime crying made it impossible for me to get a good night’s rest due to lack of sleep, and I was still working overtime.
Incidentally, I never imagined at the time that my daughter’s nighttime crying would continue until just before her third birthday.

And I, who had never taken a sick day before, finally got sick and became weak to the point where I had to take many sick days off.

My wife, on the other hand, was having a baby for the first time and taking care of the child, as well as doing all the housework in my absence.
She was also crying at night and not sleeping well, and on top of that, she had mastitis a few months after giving birth.

When she had mastitis, her body had a fever, but couldn’t take any medicine, so she had to endure the pain while doing housework and childcare.

She became almost depressed after childbirth because of the stress and frustration she had to deal with.

I think my wife got even weaker than I was.

To be honest, I still regret that there was not more I could have done for my wife at that time.

After we got married, we worked together for about five years until we had a child, and we had plenty of time to spare.

However, after the birth of our child, we lost that margin.

We were both thinking “Why am I the only one suffering?”

We were both exhausted from lack of sleep, and each of us was already at overcapacity.
Our capacity without realizing it made us constantly fight with each other.

It was just what we called a postpartum crisis in Japan.

It is said that people cannot make normal judgments when they are tired out or do not get enough sleep, and I think that we fell into this vicious cycle every day.

I managed to make it through the daily struggle until my daughter was about one to two years old, and although I still needed help with childcare, it was a little easier than before.

And before I knew it, we were back to being a good couple.

The burden of raising a child gradually decreases as the child gets older, and our familiarity with child-rearing may have made it easier for us.

However, my experience with my first child made me reflect on the fact that balancing work with housework and childcare is quite a burden.

When I found out my wife was pregnant with my second child, I was thinking about the balance between work and household.

I can change my job by quitting or changing jobs, but my family is irreplaceable.

I, of course, chose my family that was most important to me and decided to abandon my busy but rewarding job.

Because you can’t have it both ways! I thought.
Maybe some men in the world are capable of balancing work, housework, and childcare all at the same time.

Some men can provide a comfortable life for their wives and children while working.

Unfortunately, however, I have realized that I am not capable of balancing work, housework, and childcare then.

So, when my wife became pregnant with our second child, I decided to quit my job and concentrate on housework and childcare for about six months.

But then, for the first time, I learned that men can also take childcare leave.

I should have taken it with my first child, but it was too late.

“I’ll take paternity leave with my second child! And this time, I’ll concentrate on housework and childcare!”

I made up my mind and took it.

What did I do during my paternity leave?

Housework and childcare, of course.

I even did all the work I could, especially so as not to burden my wife!

In my case, it was cooking, laundry, cleaning, taking care of my two older children, and preparing for and picking them up from school and kindergarten.

Housework and childcare are two words, but each of them is hard and has long hours of work.

Men who want to take paternity leave should first get into the habit of doing housework regularly.

In terms of childcare, there is even more load when you have siblings.

You have to tie your eldest daughter’s hair and do her homework. There’s no end to the number of things I have to do, including bathing all three of them, getting everything I need, taking them to the park, and putting them to bed.

There is no end to it. I support the baby’s care, but there is one thing I cannot do.

That’s breastfeeding!!

This may sound strange, but after doing so many things, I feel very frustrated that I can’t do this.
If I could breastfeed myself, I would be able to help my wife more.

Now that I think about it, I wonder who I’m trying to be, beyond a father.

But just that feeling alone made my wife laugh and happy.

What was it like for a man to take paternity leave?

I think it made the whole family happier.

This is entirely my own opinion, but it seemed to me that once my wife was able to relax, everything started to go in the right direction. I think I was able to support her in two ways, physically and mentally.

For example, if a man does everything except breastfeeding, his wife can have more energy and focus on breastfeeding and if he stays at home and takes care of the housework, she will feel relieved that she is not doing it alone.

Especially after childbirth, a mother’s body needs a certain period to regain its strength, and if she is alone during this period, she will have a lot of anxiety.
If a man is there to support her, she will be able to recover faster.
Also, it will be a good family environment for the child.

When I saw how happy my family was that I was taking paternity leave, I was really glad that I took it.

So I strongly believe that men taking paternity leave will lead to a happier families.

And the specific things that need to be done are men’s housework and childcare.

Hi, I am Aky, a father of three children.

I am from Tokyo.

I have experience taking a whole year of Paternity leave in Japan which is not well known as one of the best places in the world to take.

Because it has so much friendly system.

I will show you what it is like.

Parental Childcare Leave the system in Japan.

Once you know your baby is going to be delivered.

It is very hard to leave all the child-rearing to your wife, and you want to reduce the burden on women or share it half and half.

Japan has one of the best Parental Childcare Leave systems in the world.

In a super simple way, this Japanese system is world top class to help men and women “balance work and childcare“

Top-class system in the world

Some benefits come with parental leave in Japan.

For instance, most people who work for more than one year can get compensation of roughly 80% of the monthly salary for one year in principle.

Childcare leave benefits in Japan

Under the Japanese childcare leave system, if you meet certain requirements, such as not being paid wages, you are entitled to three major compensation types.

1. Payment benefits.
The amount paid is 67% of the wage at the start of the leave for the first six months, and 50% thereafter.

2. Tax-free benefits.
The childcare leave benefit is tax-exempt, so no income tax will be charged. It also does not affect the amount of resident tax calculated for the following year.

3. Exemption from social insurance and unemployment insurance premiums

In Japan, there is a social insurance system, and paying social insurance premiums is a source of funds to provide benefits to citizens when they fall into trouble such as illness, nursing care, or unemployment.

Both employers and employees are exempt from paying these social insurance premiums during childcare leave. If there is no salary income, there will be no unemployment insurance premiums.

As a result of the above, your take-home pay will be up to 80% of what it was before the leave.

Difficulty to take Paternity leave in Japan

Even though it is a wonderful system, there are still two major problems:

the low acquisition rate and short acquisition period for a large number of actual acquisitions.

The main reason is “the atmosphere in the workplace that makes it difficult to take childcare leave.

Despite the legal framework, the biggest obstacle for acquirers is the lack of understanding from those around them in the work environment.

My case – What you need: Courage

I took my parental leave when my second child.

I had already experienced the limitations of raising a child while working full time with my first child.
When I learned about the childcare leave system, I did not care what the company thought of it.

In fact, in taking paternity leave, I did not experience any discrimination.

Rather, I think I received a warm reception from those around me.

However, it is undeniable that the response varies from company to company.

Either way, the current situation requires men to be ready or brave enough to quit their jobs.

However, if the outcome is good for the family, it will be well worth it!