Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Thursday that she only sleeps two to four hours a night, and has also been criticized for encouraging people to overwork.
The revelation that she sleeps little came after Takaichi raised eyebrows last week by calling a 3 a.m. staff meeting in his office to prepare for a parliamentary session.
“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at most. I feel like it’s bad for my skin,” she told a legislative committee, where she was asked about the importance of reducing Japan’s notoriously long working hours.
Japan has long struggled to find a healthy work-life balance, and many workers face severe pressures in the office.
There is even a word – “karoshi” – for people who die from overwork.
Takaichi was also asked to explain her government’s discussions about extending the overtime cap to encourage economic growth.
She defended the debate by saying that workers and employers have different needs. Some people choose to work two jobs to make ends meet, she said, while companies impose strict limits on overtime.
Takaichi stressed that any changes would ensure workers’ health is protected.
“Indeed, if we can create a situation where people can properly balance childcare and caregiving responsibilities according to their wishes, while still being able to work, enjoy their leisure time and relax, that would be ideal,” she said.
Takaichi came to power last month as Japan’s first female prime minister.
She pledged after her election as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party to “abandon the term “work-life balance” for myself. I will work, work, work, work and work.”
Since then, she has had a busy schedule, participating in regional meetings as well as bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
