Shoko Kawata, 36, drives Yawata. She is the youngest first citizen
A choice that is almost an exception in his country, and which is precisely why it made history. Shoko Kawata, mayor of Yawata, in Kyoto Prefecture, was included by the US weekly Time in the “Time 100 Next” list, which every year highlights one hundred personalities destined to leave a mark. Kawata, 36, appears in the leaders category. According to Japanese media reports, she is the first female citizen in Japan to have taken maternity leave. She gave birth to a baby girl on September 15 and is still on leave. Elected in November 2023, at 33 years old, Kawata had become the youngest mayor in the country. Time underlines how his decision to stop, apparently “insignificant”, actually has historical value. The magazine also recalls that his personal choices, together with measures such as reducing the cost of school meals, show “how Japan can become more livable for families”.
The recognition comes at a delicate moment for the country, grappling with one of the most marked demographic declines in the world: in 2024, births fell below 700,000 and the fertility rate stopped at 1.15 children per woman. Kawata’s story has been read by various observers as a sign of change in the culture of work and in the presence of women in institutions. The World Economic Forum’s 2026 report on the gender gap places Japan in 117th place out of 145 countries, and the gap is widening precisely in politics. In the February elections, women elected to the Lower House were 68 out of 465 seats, equal to 14.6%.
Yawata, a city of around 70 thousand inhabitants between Kyoto and Osaka, is known for the Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine and for its connection with Thomas Edison, who used local bamboo for the filaments of his first light bulbs.
