The reason why a male Itoki employee took childcare leave 17 years ago and what he thinks now

At ITOKI, we are fostering a culture in which anyone can take childcare leave regardless of gender, and we are promoting diversity and inclusion, supporting work-life balance so that employees who are raising children can continue working with enthusiasm. This time, we interview Kenji Nakano, who was the first male employee at Itoki to take childcare leave. We asked her about her thoughts at the time, how she was raising her children, and her message to those who are considering taking childcare leave in the future.

Director, 1st Design Center, Work Style Design Section, Sales Headquarters

• Year of joining: 1997
• Year of childcare leave taken: 2007 (6 months)
• Family structure: 5 people living with wife and 3 children (1st year of high school, 2nd year of junior high school, 1st year of elementary school)

I was interested in being involved in someone's life. The main reason for this was that I wondered what kind of impact taking time off from work and actively raising children would have on my child.
Another opportunity was a conversation with my wife. I had a feeling that my wife would become a mother who could do anything from the moment she gave birth to our child, but she said, ``No, it's my first time, too.'' It's definitely the same as me. That's why I thought that it wasn't special for me to raise children, and that both husband and wife should do the same.

That's right. So I didn't have a chance to ask advice from experienced men beforehand. However, I didn't think of raising children or taking childcare leave as something special, so I wasn't particularly worried. I thought it would be a good challenge and a chance to grow.

My husband and I talked about it, and with the plan to send our baby to nursery school when he was 1 year old, we decided that my wife would take childcare leave until he was 6 months old, and I would take childcare leave from 7 to 12 months. I also had the idea that I would be working on it over a long period of time, rather than just one week, so six months was a natural choice.

I was like, "That's great!" Both my boss and colleagues made me feel welcome. Looking back now, I believe that even back then we had a company culture that recognized diversity.

After my child was born, I consulted my boss and prepared for six months, and I was able to borrow the help of my team, so there were no particular problems.
I went on vacation just as my work at the public facility I was in charge of was about to end. Because of that connection, I was once invited as a panelist to an event regarding childcare leave for men.

Is it better to make sure that people around you understand your feelings without holding them too tightly?

Well, I've also been in a support position, and it makes things a lot easier.

The main things I did were making and feeding baby food, taking walks, taking naps, and making dinner in time for my wife to come home. When my child wasn't sleeping well at night, I would sometimes put her on my back and take her out for a walk. Up until then, I had been watching my wife's approach and doing what I could, so I may have been able to cope with raising children surprisingly smoothly.

I thought I would have some time for myself, but I didn't have any at all lol. I understand how difficult it is to raise children. However, I was able to switch places with my wife on the weekends, so there was no stress.
With this new discovery, I believe that before I had children, I was active in a doughnut-like pattern, moving around fixed locations around my home and work. However, as I raised my children, local facilities, parks, and donut holes became part of my range of activities, and I began to feel closer to the community and the people around me.

My classmates came over to my house and asked me about my current situation.

I dropped him off at nursery school and my wife was in charge of picking him up. Of course, even after I returned to work, I continued to raise children, so I had to adjust my life rhythm to a different one than before.

I design spaces such as offices and public facilities, and the fun and rewarding part of my job is designing spaces that include the activities and communication of the people who use those spaces.
When I worked on a library project after returning to work, I felt that I was once again able to become aware of the perspectives and actions of people of various generations. I was also familiar with the difficulty of moving around with a stroller.

I see. Before taking childcare leave, I was a supervisor, but in 2014 I became a manager, so I haven't felt any negative effects.
It's true that some people are worried about what they'll do if they end up in a Taro Urashima situation by taking time off from work, but in the long run, there won't be much of a change after about six months. I hope you don't worry because it's surprisingly okay.

If you have the desire to obtain it, I would like you to give it a try.
In recent years, there has been a particular focus on men taking childcare leave, but I personally think it is important to have more options. Men take it, women take it, couples take it. There is no right answer because each family has different values and situations, so I think it would be good if we could make choices that suit each family.

When you and your husband are raising children, you may find out what each other is good at, so it might be a good idea to decide on the division of roles based on that. In our case, during our discussions, we came up with the idea that we should treat each other equally.

Also, don't take it for granted that the other person is doing it. It's important that we express our gratitude to each other and understand the difficulty of raising children.