"I sleep between zero and three hours": controversy in Japan over the prime minister's exhausting sleep schedule

TokyoMonday was Sea Day in Japan, a holiday when many people flee the summer heat by swimming, surfing and relaxing on the beach. But not Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Ms. Takaichi spent the holiday weekend rereading political documents and tackling thousands of backlogged emails, according to a Tuesday social media post. She wrote that she managed to squeeze in about "five full hours of sleep for the first time in a very long time," which was a vast improvement on the hours she says she is accustomed to sleeping – "between zero and three hours." And she added that she dedicated her scarce free time to ironing underwear, mending worn skirts, and reinforcing loose jacket buttons.

With her comments, Ms. Takaichi seemed eager to present herself as a down-to-earth leader who works tirelessly on behalf of the citizens of Japan. Instead, her post, which has been viewed more than 31 million times, has sparked a national debate about work-life balance and the dangers of sleep deprivation.

Toru Kunishige, an opposition lawmaker, warned that prolonged sleep deprivation "impairs judgment – very much like a state of drunkenness – and could pose a risk to national crisis management.

Hiroyuki Konishi, another critic of Mrs. Takaichi in Parliament, called for her resignation saying: "The Prime Minister's real job is to set policy lines and give instructions, not to examine a document down to the last detail.

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Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of a populist conservative party, described Ms. Takaichi as a very hardworking person, but added that "resting is also a job".

Some commentators argued that Ms. Takaichi, the first woman to hold the position of prime minister to Japan, she should receive more support in her position. While previous leaders often relied on their wives for help at home, Mrs. Takaichi seemed to be taking on more domestic duties, according to Yoko Iwama, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

"Establishing a support system that allows the person holding Japan's top political office to fully concentrate on their duties – without having to personally manage household tasks – would contribute to the advancement of women in society," Ms. Iwama wrote in the "Nikkei, a prominent economic newspaper.

Ms. Takaichi has been accelerating the pace lately to push forward her legislative priorities before Parliament goes on its summer break on Saturday. She is also battling ongoing economic difficulties – the yen has seen a historic fall not seen in 39 years – and a recent dip in popularity, though her approval ratings remain relatively high.

Mrs. Takaichi's allies have come out in her defense, praising her for offering a candid glimpse into the pressures of balancing work and personal commitments.

Ayano Kunimitsu, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Ms. Takaichi, like other politicians, faced pressure to deal with domestic tasks on her own.

"Everyone has their own circumstances and backstage stories," Ms. Kunimitsu wrote on X. "I would appreciate it if you could understand."

Japan is known for its long working hours, which in some companies exceed twelve hours. In business and public administration, workers suffer the pressure of having to stay in the office until their superiors leave and having to accumulate excessive amounts of overtime, as it is considered a sign of loyalty and diligence.

In Japan, there have been highly publicized cases in recent years of karoshi, or "death from overwork". The issue came to the public agenda in 2016 when Matsuri Takahashi, an employee of Dentsu, the advertising giant, committed suicide after working more than 100 overtime hours a month. Her death pushed the government to set a limit of 45 overtime hours per month, which according to some experts has helped to soften the work culture, especially for young people.

Since entering politics in the 1990s, Ms. Takaichi, who aspires to be a transformative leader, has made her work ethic a central part of her identity. Upon taking office as prime minister last year, she promised to "work, work, work, work, and work."

This is not the first time her habits have come under scrutiny. In November, she was criticized for summoning her collaborators at three in the morning. She later explained that her home fax machine had broken and she needed her team's help to go to another office to prepare for a meeting.