日本環境大臣小泉進次郎宣布，妻子生育後，他將休兩周陪產假。此舉將開創日本內閣大臣休陪產假的先河，但也遭到部分人的非議。日本男性為什麼不愛休陪產假呢？
Carolina Schmidt, UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) President, talks with Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi during the ongoing climate negotiations, which have reached a deadlock, in Madrid, Spain December 15, 2019. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
最新消息：據日本媒體報導，當地時間17日，日本環境大臣小泉進次郎和妻子的長子出生。小泉進次郎表示，雖然遭到批判，但仍將堅持休陪產假，希望以此推動日本社會對於男性休陪產假的認同。
Japan's Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has announced that he will take paternity leave when his first child is born this month, an unusual step in a country where new fathers rarely take time off from work.
日本環境大臣小泉進次郎宣布，他的第一個孩子本月出生後，他將休陪產假。日本男性很少休陪產假，因此小泉進次郎的決定引發了廣泛關注。
Koizumi, who will become the first cabinet minister in the country to commit to such a move, said Wednesday that he had decided to take two weeks of paternity leave in the first three months after his baby's birth after considering how caring for their newborn alone could impact his wife.
小泉進次郎將成為首位休陪產假的日本內閣大臣。他在本周三（1月15日）表示，在考慮到獨自照顧新生兒對妻子的影響後，他決定在孩子出生後三個月內休兩周陪產假。
Although Koizumi, 38, is only taking two weeks off, his decision is significant in Japan despite it having one of the world's most generous time off allowances for new fathers.
雖然38歲的小泉進次郎只休兩周假，但他的這一決定在日本意義重大。日本是世界上為新手爸爸們提供休假津貼最多的國家之一。
Under Japanese law, both men and women are entitled to up to one year of leave from work after having a child. Parents are not guaranteed pay from their employer, but are eligible for government benefits while off. But in 2018, only 6.16% of men took paternity leave, according to government data released last year.
根據日本法律，男性和女性都有權在生育後享受最多一年的假期。父母無法從僱主那裡領到工資，但可在休假期間享受政府福利。但根據日本政府去年發布的數據，2018年，只有6.16%的男性休陪產假。
The move is also notable as Koizumi — the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- is widely seen as a future prime ministerial candidate.
小泉進次郎是前首相小泉純一郎的兒子，而且被普遍視為未來的首相候選人，他的這一決定也引發了關注。
"Honestly speaking, I struggled to work out how I could take a paternity leave, as well as fulfilling my public duty as environment minister," Koizumi said in a meeting with Environment Ministry staff on Wednesday, according to video from Japanese broadcaster TBS. "But we have to change not only the system, but also the atmosphere."
日本東京廣播公司的視頻顯示，小泉進次郎在本周三與日本環境省工作人員的一次會議上說：「說實話，我一直在努力想辦法，既能休陪產假，又能履行作為環境大臣的公共職責。但我們不僅要改變體制，還要改變氛圍。」
"My paternity leave is being reported heavily in the news but I hope that (in the future) we will have a society where a politician's paternity leave doesn't make the news."
「新聞大量報導了我休陪產假一事，但我希望（今後）政客休陪產假不會再成為新聞。」
Kazuend/unsplash
為什麼日本男性不休陪產假？
Koizumi indicated last year that he was considering taking paternity leave — and at the time, he was met with criticism, said Yumiko Murakami, the head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Tokyo Center.
經濟合作與發展組織東京中心負責人村上由美子說，小泉進次郎去年曾表示他正在考慮休陪產假，但當時遭到了批評。
Generous paternity leave is stipulated by Japanese law, but the country's work culture means many people still don't take it up. According to Murakami, Japan hasn't fully embraced the notion of a work-life balance, and men are not expected to help out at home — and if they do, their loyalty to their workplace is questioned. It's often difficult for female politicians to take time off as well, she said.
日本法律規定的陪產假天數很多，但日本的工作文化意味著很多人仍然不願意休陪產假。據村上由美子介紹，日本還沒有完全接受工作與生活平衡的概念，人們也不期望男性在家裡幫忙，如果他們這樣做了，他們對工作的忠誠度就會受到質疑。她說，女性政客通常也很難休假。
Men often fear that their careers could be impacted if they take paternity leave.
男性通常擔心休陪產假會影響事業發展。
Last year, a Japanese man filed a landmark lawsuit, claiming that his employer, sportswear maker Asics, had purposefully sidelined him from his job in sales and marketing following his return from parental leave in 2015 and 2018. Asics has denied the allegations.
去年，一名日本男性提起了一項具有里程碑意義的訴訟，稱他的僱主、運動服裝製造商亞瑟士在他於2015年和2018年休完陪產假返崗後，故意讓他放棄銷售和市場營銷方面的工作。亞瑟士否認了這些指控。
sideline [ˈsaɪdlaɪn]：vt.迫使退出
The gender expectations on men also impact women. The most recent World Economic Forum's annual Global Gender Gap Report found women in Japan spend four times more time than men doing unpaid labor like domestic work and household management.
對男性的性別期望也會影響女性。世界經濟論壇最近發布的年度《全球性別差距報告》發現，日本女性從事家務和家庭管理等無償勞動的時間比男性多四倍。
Koizumi's decision is "interesting" as it comes against a backdrop of a falling birth rate, Murakami said. Only three weeks ago, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced that the country had the lowest number of births in 2019 since records began in 1899. The birth rate slipped despite government initiatives to turn the trend around.
村上由美子說，小泉進次郎的決定很「有趣」，因為它是在出生率下降的背景下做出的。就在三周前，日本衛生勞動福利部宣布，該國2019年的新生兒數量為1899年有記錄以來的最低水平。儘管政府採取措施扭轉這一趨勢，出生率還是下降了。
In a blog published Wednesday, Koizumi pointed to Japan's declining birth rate as a reason why men should take advantage of the paternity leave allocation.
小泉進次郎在本周三發表的一篇博客中指出，日本不斷下降的出生率是男性應該享受陪產假的原因之一。
"(The falling birth rate) is starting to make people think, 'OK whatever we're doing is not really working,'" Murakami said. "It's starting to make people think, 'maybe it's a mindset, maybe it's the culture, maybe it's a work environment in which people are not really, truly encouraged to have babies.'"
村上由美子說：「（出生率的下降）讓人們開始認為，『好吧，不管我們做什麼都沒有真正起作用。』這開始讓人們思考，『也許是心態、文化、或工作環境，這些並沒有真正鼓勵人們去生育。』」
開創先例
For now, the reaction from the public has been mixed. Some praised Koizumi's decision, while others argued that he was not aware of his responsibility as a minister or said that his decision was all a show.
目前，公眾的反應不一。一些人讚揚小泉進次郎的決定，而另一些人則認為他沒有意識到自己作為環境大臣的責任，或者說他的決定只是噱頭。
"Koizumi's leave is short, and people criticize it as only a 'performance'," wrote one. "But such 'performance' is the first step to change society."
有位網友寫道：「小泉進次郎的休假很短，人們批評這只是『作秀』。但這是改變社會的第一步。」
In an international context, a man taking two weeks of paternity leave could be considered "pathetic," said Murakami. "It just goes to show how conservative the Japanese society still is, especially in the political space," she said.
村上由美子說，在國際上，男性只休兩周陪產假會被認為「很可憐」。她說：「這表明日本社會有多保守，尤其是在政治領域。」
But she hoped that Koizumi's decision would send a message to the general population, and set a precedent. "(It) lets people know it's OK to do it," she said.
但她希望小泉進次郎的決定能向公眾傳達一個信息，並開創一個先例。「讓大家知道可以這樣做」，她說。
"I do think it's a very symbolic, important announcement," she said. "It's very encouraging and hopeful that someone does it in a public way, but at the same time, the flip side is it goes to show you how much work Japan has, how far behind Japan is relative to the rest of the world."
她說：「我認為這是一個非常具有象徵意義的、重要的聲明。有人公開這樣做是非常令人鼓舞和充滿希望的，但與此同時，這也告訴了大家日本還有多長的路要走，與世界其他國家相比，日本落後了多少。」
flip side：另一方面
英文來源：CNN
翻譯&編輯：yaning
來源：中國日報網