PM Takaichi’s sleep‑deprivation post sparks debate
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has drawn mixed reactions with a social media post lamenting chronic sleep deprivation and her demanding workload, reigniting debate over Japan’s culture of extreme working hours, Qazinform News Agency learned from Kyodo.
“Zero to three hours of sleep has become the norm” since taking office last October, she wrote on X, describing nights spent reviewing documents until dawn while handling household chores. Over the recent three‑day holiday, she said she was “swamped with thousands of accumulated emails” but managed five hours of sleep “for the first time in a long while.”
The post drew quick reactions.
Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People said Takaichi should delegate tasks, stressing that “getting rest is also part of the job.” Toru Kunishige of the Centrist Reform Alliance warned that prolonged sleep shortage could impair judgment and threaten crisis management.
The remarks echo Takaichi’s earlier pledge to “work, work, work, work and work,” a phrase that topped last year’s buzzword list but was criticized as glorifying long hours. On X, some users defended her dedication, while others dismissed the post as political theater amid sliding Cabinet approval ratings following the controversial revision of the Imperial House Law.
Earlier, Takaichi reiterated that enough crude oil supplies had been secured in the country for the time being.