Maternity leave is a full-time job. And yet, all too often, women are forced to justify the gaps created in their resumes, with rejection from employers an all-too-frequent occurrence. In an effort to destigmatise maternity leave, the Pregnancy Pause was created to help mums return to the workforce.

By 2020, Japan's prime minister Shinzō Abe wants women to fill 30% of the nation's senior management roles. Yet despite efforts to get women into work, a growing number are targeting domestic bliss. Are dreams of a family funded by a high-earning husband anything more than a fairytale?

With more women than ever working in Japan, the need for quick, nutritious meals has become of utmost importance for busy wives and mothers. How have depachikas – food halls in department stores across the country – helped overturn cultural stigmas surrounding ready meals?

Japan's notoriously exhausting work culture seems to be changing, with one firm touting its appeal to graduates by promising only ‘about ten hours of overtime per month’. A new generation of graduates expect more from their future workplace – they want an employer that cares.