The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said 30.1 percent of male employees in Japan took paternity leave in fiscal 2023 that ended on March 31 this year.

That was 13 percentage points higher than the previous survey and the highest since recordkeeping began in 1993.

Despite the record high rate, the figure falls short of the 50 percent target the government is aiming for by 2025.

As for the duration of paternity leave, about 30 percent took between one to three months off and around 20 percent took five days to two weeks off.