Questions/Answers

We have been working on "Otsu Project-W" as we need improve work system and environment putting emphasis on work style reforms and work-life balance, especially, in view of sustainable employment and enhancingempowerment for women, in order to deal with depoplation society, which is accelerated by low-birth rate and aging society. "Otsu Project-W" with which "W" stands for realization of advance in women's career and work-life balance, is the project for realization of gender-equal society to develop environment where women can continue their work by improving work system, work environment and eliminating stereotype of gender role while utilizing women's power and perspective to build a better community. More specifically, we develop businesses classfied by category, such as business for men, business for women with various needs, for students, for companies, for municipal office to provide environment where women can choose their working style and way of life, work actively, raise children, and both men and women can achieve work-life balance. We send enlightening message about awareness and behavior, collect information about people's needs, provide access to information and manage website relative to employment of women. Through this initiative, we increase the number of nursery and manage co-working space as a base to help women start a business in order to improve women's economic empowerment. In addition, Otsu City holds "Meeting with Mayor" where the mayor listens to the voices of women and girls to take up their ideas and opinions for policy-making. This help strengthen women's leadership and achieve gender equality, advance empowerment of all women and girls, which in turn women and girls can play an active role in society.

Objectives of the initiative is to realize a society where both men and women can choose various works styles as they wish and present their individuality and talent, and to achieve work-life balance by correcting practice of working long hours and promoting work style reforms.

Achieving genger equality and enhancing empowerment of all women and girls solves the problem of gender gap in professional career and aiming at creating momentum to advance decent work leads to promotion of building women friendly work environment, women's entrepreneurship and career progress as well as nurturing women's leadership. Ending poverty in all its forms leads to sustainable, comprehensible and equal economic growth.

Women's work pattern in Japan follows M-shaped curve, in which labor force participation rate of women in their 30's drops. For continuous women's participation in labor force, we need to change this work pattern of M-shaped curve and areate environment where women can continue working even after their marriage an childbirth without career interruption. To that end, we offer support to citizens by developing nurseries and clubs for after-school of activities of children and enhancing care services for sick children, extending public kindergarten program to three years.Forcusing on support for women's entrepreneurship is also effective to create new products and services, which stimulates local economy.

To provide support for child rearing, we developed nursery services and have continuously achieved zero-waiting list for nursery as of April 1 every year since 2015. As we have created environment friendly for child rearing, the total fertility rate in our city has increased. For employment of women, we enlightened citizens to develop women friendly work environment and built system in which women can access to a network of experts and peers, and sent relative information.

Women have their will to work, but sometimes difficult to work because they need take care of children and aging parents. This initiative contributes to developing environment in which women can juggle work and household chores by realizing women's employment, changing mindset of business leaders and promoting work style reform for both men and women. Continuous employment of women increases the portion of women who wish to have high atatus career and facilitates leadership position in women.

We have "Enpowering Women Section" in our municipal organization and effectively deal with the issue related with women by combining all policies while promoting "Otsu Project-W". With catchword of "Continuous Support before and after childbirth", we have increased capacity of nurseries by 2000 in four years and achieved zero-waiting list for nursery in three years so that women can continue their work and juggle work and childcare. We focus on investment on building friendly environment for child rearing.

The initiative is innovative as many stakeholders such as citizens, citizen groups, municipal authorities and businesses are involved in "Otsu Project-W" multilaterally.

Grant for Regional Revitalization allocated by the central government, city general fund, private businesses undertaking city projects, facilities of public and private sectors, citizen groups etc.

No

The initiative is adaptable to other cities. In many cases, policies for child rearing and enhancing women's labor force apply methods to approach citizen demands. So it is important to study the needs of residents in the communities and reflect their needs in policy-making.

Under Otsu City Comprehensive Plan reviewed every four years, we work on "Realization of a Society where women play more active role" and check the progress using our own indicators. Supporting parents for child rearing including building nurseries development is important agenda of both local and central government for continuous employment of women regardless of their marriage, childbirth and child rearing. Men's support and cooperation is also important to promote empowerment of women both in professional career and household life.This requires that men and women shere household chores, taking care of children and aging parents. When women start their own business or continue working, local economy becomes vibrant, leadership position and status in women increase. As next generation of women and girls follow working women as a mentor and have more awareness of their way of life, it creates positive cycle. In this sense, the initiative is sustainable.

The initiative is implemented under the leadership of local community and we ensure the financial sources since we implement the initiative within our budget. The initiative is sustainable as we utilize sharing economy and cloud funding to secure financial sources. For empowerment of women, we offer opportunity where working womwn and women who don't have work, but have a will to work, can meet and have a talk. We also provide counseling services by dispatching advisors. We offer public service and support women to start business and play more active role in society by establishing co-working spaces and opening business schools, promoting sharing economy and continuing "Women's Business Plan Competition", which started in 2017 to enlist participants nationwide. For transparency and access to information, we utilize website and continuously provide information on employment of women. In view of above, the initiative is sustainable.

Yes

Otsu City Comprehensive Plan sets numerical target to be reached by 2020 to effectively and objectively measure and evaluate policy achievements. To facilitate employment of women and fulfill work-life balance, we worked on business organizations, citizen groups, all women and girls to strengthen power of women and girls while implementing projects in multilateral ways and gaining understanding and support of men to solve the problem of stereotype of gender role. In this regard, our initiative was evaluated.

Increase labor force participation rate of women by promoting continuous employment of women without career interruption due to marriage, chilebirth and child rearing. Achieve zero-waiting list for nursery by increasing the number of nursery. Increase total fertility rate by developing environment friendly for child rearing. Increase the number of male city employees who take short paternity leave by promoting project of men's participation in child rearing called "Happy Ikumen", or "Father Enjoying Child Rearing." "Otsu Women's Business Plan Competition" held for the first time in 2017 by establishing virtuous cycle of supporting female entrepreneurship.

Continuously achieved zero-wating list for nursery as of April 1 since 2015 Total fertility rate 1.48 in 2013 → 1.50 in 2016 Labor force participation rate of women aged between 30 and 34 61.5% in 2010 → 62.9% in 2015 Labor force participation rate of women aged between 35 and 39 58.8% in 2010 → 62.5% in 2015 Happy Ikumen Paternity Leave 38 city employees 95.1% in 2016 Special Leave for child rearing 27 city employees 71.1% in 2016 Child Care Leave taken by male employees 4 employees 9.8% in 2016 12 female entrepreneurs were selected for the finalists in Otsu Women's Business Plan Competition in 2017 and they have been supported companies for doing their business.

Chamber of commerce and industry organization offered cooperation to disseminate projects and gave advice. Private companies offered cooperation by joining projects and gave ideas and opinions. Private sectors including NPO, citizen groups, private vompanies, universities and other organization made proposals, undertook projects and submitted report about the projects. Experts Council for Empowerment of Women made proposal for future vision, policies and projects Citizens joined projects as a participant and volunteer

We recognize the need to use PDCA and conduct evaluation for comprehensive plan to achieve further improvement. To realize gender equality and facilitate empowerment of all women and girls, it is important for us to grasp understanding of citizens' needs. When we meet the needs for further improvement, people can work together and sustainable city is realized. For further advance in empowerment of women, we do our project in multiateral ways and post notice and information about achievement on the website, which leads to increased citizens' interest in this issue and changes their awareness. We will continue to offer information on the website. We will continuously support women to launch their business. For facilitation of busihess gender equality, we will further promote reform to change mindset of business managers and encourage women to change their awareness, and implement project to support women in order to achieve numerical target.