Japan's Prime Minister Says She Sleeps 0-3 Hours Amid Work Criticisms

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shed light on her grueling work schedule, revealing she typically sleeps between 0 and 3 hours per night. Her candid remarks on social media come after facing criticism for previously advocating for constant work and dismissing the concept of "work-life balance."

In a social media post, Takaichi, 65, described a recent night where she managed five hours of sleep, calling it a rare luxury. She detailed how her days are consumed by governmental duties, household chores like cleaning the bathtub and doing laundry, and then absorbing official documents deep into the night. This intense routine has led to her limited sleep hours.

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Rest today has been truly appreciated; for the first time in a long time I was able to sleep five hours (since I took office as prime minister, the norm has been to sleep 0 to 3 hours), and in the afternoon I caught up on ironing a lot of handkerchiefs and underwear.

Her comments echo past controversies. Last year, after winning primaries for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Takaichi faced backlash from a lawyers' group focused on "karoshi" (death from overwork) for her statement that she wanted everyone on her team to "work like horses" and that she herself would abandon the term "family reconciliation."

Adding to the controversy, she once summoned assistants for a 3 a.m. work session to prepare for a parliamentary address, an incident she later clarified as an isolated case due to a broken fax machine. While accepting an award for the "most famous phrase of the year" – her "work, work, work" promise – Takaichi defended her stance. She argued that working long hours should not be seen as a virtue but stated that as Japan's leader, she is committed to doing "whatever it takes" to contribute to the country's development.

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I don't intend for working long hours to be seen as a virtue, but as the leader of Japan, I want to do whatever it takes to contribute to the development of the country.