It is not fair to just blame Japan's corporations for Japanese women's retreat from workplaces. There are not enough child-care centers in Japan. Women are often caught in a Catch 22 situation: they cannot secure a job until a child-care slot is available, and they are not eligible for such a slot until they have a job.

如果只是责备日本公司使日本女性离开职场的话，未免有失公允。(因为)日本的幼托中心不足。日本女性总是处于进退维谷的处境：只有幼托中心有空位的话，她们才可以保证去工作，但同时只有她们有了工作，才有资格找幼托中心。

Many women, as a result, choose to stay at work rather than have children.

因此，很多女性选择留在职场，不去生孩子。

Shinwa Agency Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan's Daiwa House Group, offers its employees a bonus of 1 million yen ($8,410) for a child they give birth to. But very few female employees at Shinwa have taken the bonus.

日本大和房屋集团旗下的亲和株式会社规定，员工生一个孩子会得到100万日元(8410美元)的额外津贴。然而，几乎没有女性拿过这种补贴。

It is commendable that Japanese companies are changing. Some companies including Itochu, a general trading house, and Ricoh, a printer maker, are initiating flexible working hours so as to reduce or put an end to overtime.

【日本职场变化大，女性获益多】相关文章：

★ 印尼体育部长受腐败调查影响辞职

★ 日本首相野田佳彦欢迎美国将重心转向亚太

★ 我的推荐：节庆红酒25款

★ 日本右转是虚弱之象

★ 节日双语：美国情人节求婚带动消费

★ 日本首相承诺加入泛太平洋伙伴关系会谈

★ 日本新财相：将发债刺激经济

★ 做空日本时机已到？

★ 美国共和党的新路在何方？

★ FT社评：意大利需要蒙蒂