The fact is taking paternity leave in Japan is difficult given the brutal work culture in the country. Japanese companies follow the "lifetime employment" model, which one Japanese economist termed a "gentleman's agreement" under which employees generally stay with one company while, in exchange, the company grants them lifelong employment. This system imposes unwritten "penalty (on)…a worker taking time off to care for…children", because by staying away from work workers could miss out on the time they need to sharpen or build their "firm-specific skills".

One in four Japanese companies want woman employees to quit their jobs after having a child, rather than taking childcare leave. And about 70 percent of Japanese women have quit their jobs after giving birth to their first child. Most of these women do not seek re-employment for years, with some never doing so.

Only 34 percent of Japanese women with children below 6 years of age work, compared with 76 percent in Sweden, 61 percent in the United States, 55 percent in the United Kingdom and 53 percent in Germany.

An increasing number of Japanese fathers want to help their wives in taking care of their children, especially if their wives decide to keep working after giving birth. But they would not dare be the first to apply for leave to spend more time with their families or take care of their children.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pledge to increase childcare facilities is a step in the right direction. But change has been slow in coming.

Only when men dare to take leave to look after their children and attend to household chores can women get the chance to move up the career ladder.

The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief. caihong@chinadaily.com.cn