A new paternity leave will be introduced from October 1, 2022, replacing the existing childcare leave for fathers (“Papa Kyuka.”)
* The existing childcare leave for fathers (“Papa Kyuka”) is a program to allow male employees who took childcare leave within 8 weeks after the birth of the child to take a second childcare leave without any special circumstances.
[New program]
Male employees can take childcare leave within eight weeks after the birth of the child up to four weeks.
[Key point 1] The leave can be taken in two portions.
Even in such case, the application must be submitted before the first leave.
[Key point 2] The employee can engage in work temporarily during the leave.
To allow employees to work during leave, a labor-management agreement is required.
Following is the specific procedure.
(1) A employee presents conditions on working during childcare leave to the employer.
(2) The employer proposes dates and hours within the scope of the conditions presented by the employee.
(3) The employee agrees on the dates and hours.
(4) The employer officially notifies the dates and hours to the employee.
(Upper limit of the work during leave)
- The total work days or hours during the childcare leave period must not exceed half of the standard work days and hours.
- In the case the employee works on the first day or the last day of the paternity leave, the work hours must not exceed standard work hours.
[Due date of application] According to the law, an application must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the leave. If a company has a labor-management agreement that is more favorable to employees than the rules required by the April 2022 Amendment, the due date can be changed to one month prior to the leave.
Following is the comparison table.
|
|
Paternity leave after childbirth (Oct 1, 2022~) The leave can be taken aside from childcare leave |
Childcare leave (Oct 1, 2022~) |
Childcare leave (current program) |
|
Leave period, the number of times |
Up to four weeks within an eight-week period after the birth of the child |
Until the child turns one year of age (The period can be extended to two years of age.) |
Until the child turns one year of age (The period can be extended to two years of age.) |
|
Application due date |
In principle, two weeks prior to the leave |
In principle, one month prior to the leave |
In principle, one month prior to the leave |
|
Splitting of the leave |
The leave can be split into two portions. (The application for the two portions must be submitted in advance.) |
The leave can be split into two portions. (The application can be submitted each time.) |
In principle, not allowed. |
|
Work during leave |
Possible within the scope agreed by the employee. A labor-management agreement is required. |
Not possible, in principle. |
Not possible, in principle. |
|
Extension of leave after the child turns one |
|
The start day can be set more flexibly. |
Leave can be started on the day the child turns one year or one year and six months in age. |
|
Second leave after the child turns one |
|
Possible under special circumstances. |
Not possible. |
For more details, please check the Labour Ministry’s website. (Japanese only)
育児・介護休業法について｜厚生労働省 (mhlw.go.jp)
