NEW YORK - Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, believed to be the first incumbent mayor in Japan to take maternity leave, was selected Wednesday in Time magazine's list of 100 of the world's most influential rising stars.
Kawata, who also became the country's youngest female mayor when elected in November 2023 at the age of 33, gave birth to a girl on Sept. 15 and is still on maternity leave. She was selected in the Leaders category of this year's "Time 100 Next."
The magazine said she made history for "a seemingly unremarkable decision" to take leave, while her personal choices and policies such as reducing the price of school lunches have been "demonstrating how Japan can become more livable for families."
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