A female member of a government panel participated in a meeting at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office with her 2-month-old baby on Thursday, with the Cabinet pledging to take necessary measures to promote women's empowerment.

Shoko Takahashi, founder of the Japanese personal genome company Genequest Inc. is believed to be the first person to take their newborn to a gathering held at the prime minister's office, according to its secretariat.

The secretariat received consultation in advance from Takahashi and prepared a place for her to breastfeed, although she did not actually use it.

Shoko Takahashi (C), founder of Japanese personal genome company Genequest Inc., attends a government meeting with her baby at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on April 27, 2023. (Kyodo)

Later in the day, Takahashi told reporters while carrying her baby in a sling, "The baby started to cry a little during the meeting, but everyone smiled and interacted kindly. We were warmly welcomed by them."


Related coverage:

Japan remains 2nd worst in int'l ranking for women in workforce

FOCUS: Calls grow for drastic steps to address Japan's sliding birthrate

Japan launches new agency to deal with children's issues