'Pregnant' male politicians lead housework drive

A trio of male Japanese politicians has gamely strapped on "pregnancy vests" that simulate swollen bellies in a lighthearted campaign for men to pick up the slack in a nation where women do most of the housework.

The three governors of southwestern prefectures are taking to the airwaves with the public awareness campaign that loosely translates as: "The governor is a pregnant woman."

Japanese men are not very helpful husbands when it comes to housework: they do just one hour of unpaid work daily compared to five hours for their wives, according to a 2014 study by the 35-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.