(すぎなみく)

Suginami Ward

(くちょう)

ward mayor; head of a ward

(かぞく)

family

(しゅうかん)

week; weekly

(やすむ)

to rest; to take a break

(とうきょう)

Tokyo

(すごす)

to spend (time)

(じかん)

time

(たいせつ)

important

(とる)

to take

(しごと)

work, job

(かてい)

household; home; family

(まもる)

to protect

(だいじ)

important, serious

(かんがえる)

to think; to consider

(にほん)

Japan

(せきにん)

responsibility

(たちば)

position; standpoint

(ひと)

person / people

(ながい)

long

(まだ)

still; yet

(あまり)

not very / not much (with negative)

(おおい)

many

(こんかい)

this time

(けってい)

decision

(はたらきかた)

way of working

(きっかけ)

trigger; opportunity; chance

(ちゅうもく)

attention, notice

(じぶん)

oneself

(ほか)

other

(あんしん)

relief / peace of mind

(せつめい)

explanation

(く)

ward; district

(あいだ)

interval, during

(たんとうしゃ)

person in charge

(すすめる)

to advance; to move forward

(とりくみ)

efforts, initiatives

(しゃかい)

society

(ぜんたい)

the whole / overall

(ひろがる)

to spread

(わだい)

topic; subject of conversation

because of ~ / for the sake of ~

ため after a noun or plain form indicates reason or purpose. Used twice: once for 'because of bear worries' and once for 'for the children's safety'.

to decide to do

Used to express making a decision about an action. Here describes the party's decision.

Not only ~ but also

Expresses that something is not limited to one thing. Not only Tokyo and Kyoto, but various other places too.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

about / regarding / concerning

Used to indicate the topic of discussion or consideration. Here it introduces the topic the team will think about.

to become

Expresses a change of state; Kawai became the new commissioner of the Sports Agency.

come to / reach the point where

Indicates a change in state or ability.

want (someone) to do ...

Expresses a wish for someone else to do something. Formed with て-form + ほしい. The person you want to act is marked with に.

I hear that / it is said that

Reports hearsay or information received. Here it conveys what the agency said.

whether or not

Used with embedded questions to express uncertainty about whether something is true. Here it introduces what the research lab is trying to determine about the bear.

杉並区長　家族のため3週間休む

Suginami ward mayor takes three weeks off for family.

東京の杉並区の区長が、家族と過ごす時間を大切にするため、3週間の休みを取ることを決めました。

The mayor of Suginami Ward in Tokyo decided to take three weeks off in order to value the time he spends with his family.

区長は、仕事だけでなく家庭の時間も守ることが大事だと考えています。

The mayor believes it is important to protect not only work but also family time.

日本では、責任のある立場の人が長い休みを取ることは、まだあまり多くありません。

In Japan, it is still not very common for people in positions of responsibility to take long vacations.

今回の区長の決定は、働き方について考えるきっかけになると注目されています。

The mayor's decision this time is drawing attention as an opportunity to think about how we work.

区長は、「自分が休みを取ることで、ほかの人も安心して休めるようになってほしい」と説明しました。

The mayor explained, By taking time off myself, I hope others will also come to feel able to take time off with peace of mind.

区の仕事は、区長が休んでいる間も、ほかの担当者が進めるということです。

The ward's work will be carried out by other staff in charge even while the mayor is on leave.

この取り組みが、社会全体に広がるかどうかが話題になっています。

Whether this initiative will spread to society as a whole has become a topic of discussion.