JAPAN

Women Want Longer Maternity Leave: Women with families say they do not get enough time off for baby care, a survey said. Forty percent of respondents in the Economic Planning Agency survey said they wanted companies to implement one-year child care leave. Only 28% of the firms covered offered such a benefit. Many women said they would like to stop working until their youngest child enters nursery school. But 69% said they resumed working after their maternity leave. The study said it was important to improve working conditions for women, an important part of the work force, especially as the nation continues to age and growth in the number of new workers slows.