The Lens: Hong Kong should learn from Japan’s paternity leave system

In many countries, like Mexico and Turkey, mothers are granted weeks of maternity leave while fathers are only given days – if they are lucky enough to get any leave at all. We constantly push for gender equality in the workplace, but how can we achieve equality if paternity leave is practically non-existent compared to maternity leave?

This is why I strongly support Japan’s paternity leave system. Because of the flexibility fathers have in terms of when they can take leave, as well as the fact that they are entitled to 52 weeks of paid leave, I believe that Japan is shaping up to lead the rest of the world to do the same.

Unfortunately, despite Japan’s attempts to push fathers to use their paternity leave, only 17 per cent of fathers took it up in 2022. The main reason is that they feared their employer would reduce their pay. However, paternity leave is just as important as maternity leave. It provides opportunities for the child to bond with their father, lays the foundations for equal distribution of future responsibilities, and improves family relationships.

Hong Kong’s paternity leave system is very different. Fathers are permitted only five days of leave. They are given less than a week to spend time with their newborn child before they have to go back to work, and who knows how much time they’ll be able to spend with their child while working full time? Five days is hardly enough, which is why I believe that Hong Kong should learn from Japan’s system.

Japan has made great strides in the number of fathers taking paternity leave compared to the past few years, and we should urge more countries to adopt the same system. Encouraging fathers to take leave boosts a father’s relationship with his children, and is a crucial step towards workplace equality.

Read up on the issue in last week’s The Lens

In Indonesia, where a vast crowd met in Jakarta’s Merdeka Square earlier this month for a pro-Palestinian rally, boycotts of Israel are gathering pace.

The boycott list has been spreading on Indonesian Facebook and TikTok for weeks. It names 121 brands that it claims are affiliated with Israel – without evidence. Some big names on the list are Nestle, Danone and Unilever.

Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority nations are leading the region’s opposition to Israel’s assault on Gaza, which was launched in response to the October 7 raid by Hamas militants that left more than 1,400 people dead.

More than 10,000 people – including over 4,000 children and young people – have been killed by Israel’s air and artillery strikes in the weeks since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which operates globally, has been promoting economic pressure as a way of forcing Israel to give full independence to the state of Palestine.

Given the growing awareness of global affairs in the internet age, economists say it was inevitable that Indonesians would vote with their pockets on issues that matter to them.

For example, a recent call to stop eating at McDonald’s became popular on social media after reports that the fast-food chain in Israel provided free meals for members of Israel’s military.

The Indonesian licensee for McDonald’s moved swiftly to say the company was Indonesian-owned and unrelated to the Israeli franchise. “Our sympathy goes to all the war victims,” it said.
Staff writers

• Do you recognise the flag the people are waving in the photo? What is happening in that part of the world?

• Do you think a boycott is an effective way to help Palestinians? What impact could it have?