Japanese mayor makes history – but faces criticism for taking maternity leave

The mayor of a small Japanese city became the first sitting mayor in the country to take maternity leave on Monday, a decision that has drawn some criticism at home and attracted international media attention.

Shoko Kawata, mayor of Yawata, a city of around 69,000 people in western Japan, said she had planned to have children when she became Japan’s youngest female mayor in 2023 at the age of 33....