Shinjiro Koizumi’s move raises hopes that more new fathers will be emboldened to stay home with their babies

Shinjiro Koizumi’s break from his job as Japan’s environment minister began on Friday when his wife, the TV personality Christel Takigawa, gave birth to the couple’s first child.

While the daytime TV shows cooed over the new addition to the celebrity couple’s family, his decision to become the first cabinet minister to take time away from work to be with his wife and son has raised hopes of change in a country where a tiny fraction of men exercise their right to paternity leave.

The attitude of not wanting to be a nuisance is deeply embedded in the Japanese psyche, especially in the workplace.

Unless someone like Koizumi shows the way, nothing will ever change.