On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi revealed that she only sleeps for between two and four hours every night. The relentless workload of the nation’s first ever female leader has raised concerns about her health. Last month, she vowed to “work, work, work, work and work,” discarding the idea of a work-life balance. A group of lawyers representing victims of karoshi — death from overwork — demanded that she retract the comments. In a statement, they said her remarks were not helpful in a nation that has a culture of long and excessive working hours.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi | Wikimedia
Takaichi Says She ‘Can Hardly Get Any Sleep’
Last Friday, Takaichi arrived at her office at 3 a.m. to prepare for her first parliamentary debate. It was due to start at 9 a.m. “My jaw dropped when I heard it was 3 a.m,” an official told Fuji News Network, speaking on condition of anonymity. The prime minister is temporarily staying at one of the Diet’s dormitory facilities, which she says has created logistical nightmares. Apparently, it only has an old fax machine. Asked by Takahiro Kuroiwa, a member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, why she hasn’t relocated, Takaichi replied, “Right now, not only do I not have time to pack … I can hardly get any sleep.”
In addition to the health of the prime minister, there is also concern about the wellbeing of her staff. Takaichi’s close aides were present when she arrived at the residence at 3 a.m. “I went to the official residence at 3 a.m., which is when I had heard that the script for the session would be finished. I believe it may have been tough for the secretaries who helped me polish the answers, the security guards and the drivers,” said Takaichi. The country’s leader has been urged to slow things down for the good of her own health and those around her.
“If the prime minister starts at 3 a.m., staff must start from 1.30 a.m. or 2 a.m.,” Kazuya Shimba, secretary general of the Democratic Party, was quoted as saying by the Chosun Daily. “People cannot endure that physically,” he added. “I think it’s a little too much hard work. Although the prime minister declared that she will ‘work and work and work,’ I am honestly worried. I hope she is able to do the job while taking it a bit easier,” said former Economic Minister Ken Saito.
