their rights in taking care of children.

"The current law only urges companies to make efforts in notifying employees about their rights," Wada said. "We'd like to strengthen enforcement so managers will proactively approach workers (entitled to childcare leave) and ask them to take leave."

Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 38, a potential future prime minister according to some opinion polls, made headlines when he declared before the birth of his first child in January that he would take time off. He is taking a total of two weeks off during the first three months by such means as working shorter hours and telecommuting.

But while the move was ground-breaking, Wada said he wants new fathers to take full leave at least for the first two weeks after childbirth.

The lawmaker underlined theseeing many men pushing baby strollers at a park in Stockholm during a trip to the city in 2018.

The Osaka-based company introduced in September 2018 a scheme enabling male workers with children under 3 years old to take at least one month off for childcare, with the first month treated as paid leave. The time away can be divided into four periods.

As of late August 2019, 1,113 of the 1,567 male Sekisui House workers nationwide who qualified began taking leave under the scheme, with 582 them completing it. The company has a workforce of some 20,000.

"Originally I wanted to introduce a minimum three-month paternity leave modeled after Sweden's system, but gave up after finding out that if all the fathers who met the condition took the leave, it