Toyota and Sony boost paternity leave as manufacturers play catch-up

TOKYO -- More men working at Japanese manufacturing companies like Toyota Motor and Sony are taking child care leave, following a cultural shift that has already reverberated through white-collar industries like finance.

The paternity leave rate at Toyota in fiscal 2023 was 61.5%, an increase from 19.4% in fiscal 2021 and 38% in fiscal 2022. The spike followed a March 2023 announcement from the automaker that its goal was to make child care leave viable for all, regardless of gender.