Overview
- On Dec. 10, Kana Fukuma filed a request and held a news conference in Osaka seeking the immediate suspension and review of the rule governing pregnancy and childbirth in title matches.
- The Japan Shogi Association issued a same-day statement apologizing for causing anxiety, saying it is adjusting a revision that maintains overall fairness and will consult experts and women professionals.
- Current regulations set in April require a substitute if a title match overlaps six weeks before to eight weeks after delivery, and a titleholder automatically loses the title in such cases.
- Fukuma proposed player-led schedule or venue changes, participation based on health and medical opinion even if dates overlap, and protections to prevent de facto demotion, while the JSA is considering relief such as special seeding.
- The JSA cites a tightly packed annual calendar with no 14‑week gap between women’s title events, a reality highlighted by Fukuma’s 2024 forfeits during pregnancy and her December 2024 childbirth.