Two members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s party made the remarks as the ruling government launched a ‘womenomics’ campaign
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government came under fire on Tuesday after a senior MP suggested only women should raise children under three and another urged newlyweds to have at least three kids.
Abe’s government has made “womenomics” – or boosting women’s participation in the workplace – a priority, as the country’s workforce drops amid a rapidly ageing population.
But Koichi Hagiuda, a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), set off a firestorm on Sunday when he said men rearing children might be “unwelcome” for them.
“Children need an environment where they can stay with their mothers… if you ask infants under three which parent they like more, the answer should be mama, even though there are no firm statistics to support it,” said Hagiuda, 54, the LDP’s executive acting secretary general.
Those remarks came after another MP, Kanji Kato, doubled down on comments suggesting young couples should produce at least three children, saying he had received popular backing.
