While individual attitudes and social norms are gradually changing, and systems supporting child care have improved, many companies still hold the belief that men should earn recognition through long working hours.

Make a law that pays overtime 2.5 more, I guarantee that companies will make sure none of their employees work overtime. Of course it won't happen, the keidanren controls the government.

The Japanese paternity leave laws are actually very generous, but changing attitudes takes much longer time than it does to change the laws. There is a conversation about it now though and it seems like it is slowly changing

Interesting article on Yahoo Japan the other day. There was a survey that showed, in lieu of a lengthy paternity leave, a vast majority new parents would rather have husbands take just a short, 1 to 2-week leave after the birth and then go back to work on the condition that they work a set M-F, 9-to-5 schedule with days off when necessary. Makes sense to me. Why companies and the governments aren't pushing this, I have no idea. I remember when my kids were born, the first couple of months are mainly sleeping and eating. No reason for me to be there all day, every day.

Problem is the men in charge of the men wanting to take paternity leave or time for their own lives are from a generation of haughty old men who refuse to believe or accept that their entire existence isn’t related to the office. It won’t change until the current 25 year old takes over the management in 30 years who has experienced the new brand of working

It's not necessarily paternity leave that is needed, but just more flexibility in working times, such as being able to get away from the office earlier so that the father can help with meals, bathing kids and getting them to bed etc. Also, the flexibility to be able to leave the office at short notice because, for example, the daycare or kindergarten just called to tell you that your kid has a fever and needs to be picked up ASAP, or because your kid has picked up one of about a dozen different bugs that pretty much all kids get in their early years that mean they can't go to the daycare/kindergarten for a day or three.

What Nihon Tora says, with the added bonus that it also applies to working women, working men and women who have caring responsibilities for elderly, and working men and women who simply don't want to be corporate slaves.

fwiw, I dislike performative gesture versions of employee welfare, like paternity leave. I think some of the people suggesting it are out of touch with actual parenting.