Japanese PM's '0-3 hours sleep' routine sparks criticism, concerns over judgment

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's claim of functioning on just 0-3 hours of sleep per night has ignited a public discussion, with opposition parties expressing serious concerns about her capacity to govern. Takaichi recently posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she managed to sleep for five hours on a public holiday, calling it a rare luxury. She stated that sleeping only 0-3 hours daily has become routine since taking office.

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Today, because it is a holiday, I was able to sleep for 5 hours for the first time in a long time. Since becoming Prime Minister, sleeping 0-3 hours a day has become routine.

Her described routine paints a picture of relentless work. Takaichi detailed a packed schedule during weekdays at the prime minister's residence, followed by personal chores at home, including cleaning the bathtub, preparing meals, washing clothes, and tidying up. Evenings are consumed by processing thousands of emails and studying substantial policy documents related to "regional future strategies" and "Japan's growth strategy." She also dedicates time to studying budget proposals and new government policies as her administration enters its second year.

"I have to read materials brought from the residence from midnight to dawn or review answers for parliamentary questioning," Takaichi wrote. "Last weekend was also spent wrestling with stacks of documents, reading materials for the parliamentary question about government policy and doing final revisions for the answers."

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I have to read materials brought from the residence from midnight to dawn or review answers for parliamentary questioning. Last weekend was also spent wrestling with stacks of documents, reading materials for the parliamentary question about government policy and doing final revisions for the answers.

On the public holiday, she described spending her time doing laundry, ironing, and mending a skirt hem, tasks she had postponed due to her demanding schedule. "I'm not good at ironing, so I put off tasks that take time, and I almost ran out of clothes to wear under my suits," she explained, adding that she had prepared enough ironed clothes and handkerchiefs for the remainder of the parliamentary session.

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I think she is a very hardworking person, but rest is also an important part of the job.

While some acknowledge her dedication, opposition figures have voiced strong criticism. Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, commented that while he respects her hard work, rest is also a crucial part of a leader's duties. More pointedly, Kunishige Toru, a member of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, warned that chronic sleep deprivation could lead to impaired judgment, akin to being intoxicated, posing a significant risk to national crisis management. Yukio Edano, a former senior official during the Democratic Party of Japan's rule, also expressed concern on X about entrusting foreign policy to a leader with such compromised judgment, recalling his own experience of intense work without sleep during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

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Continuous sleep deprivation can lead to impaired judgment, similar to being intoxicated, and can become a risk factor for national crisis management.