Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference after the South Korea Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. (AP Photo) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has revealed that she sleeps just two to four hours a night, even as she faces growing criticism for promoting a culture of overwork.
Her comments came days after she convened a 3 am staff meeting to prepare for a parliamentary session, prompting fresh scrutiny of her work ethic and leadership style.
“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at the longest. I feel it’s bad for my skin,” Takaichi told a legislative committee when asked about Japan’s long working hours and the need for reform, according to AFP new agency.
Japan has long struggled with poor work-life balance and high workplace stress, with the term karoshi—meaning “death by overwork”—becoming part of its national vocabulary.
Lawmakers also pressed Takaichi to explain why her government was considering extending the legal limit on overtime in the name of economic growth. Defending the proposal, she argued that workers’ circumstances vary, with some taking on multiple jobs to sustain themselves while companies impose tight overtime restrictions.
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“Any change will still ensure that workers’ health is protected,” she said, AFP report added. “If we can create a situation where people can balance childcare and caregiving, work, leisure, and rest as they wish—that would be ideal.”
Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister last month, has made no secret of her belief in relentless effort. Upon taking office as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, she declared she would “discard the term ‘work-life balance’ for myself. I will work, work, work, work, and work.”
Since then, her packed schedule has included regional tours and bilateral talks with world leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
