Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has revealed that she functions on just two to four hours of sleep each night, raising concerns about the message this sends to a workforce already burdened by demanding schedules.
Speaking before lawmakers, Takaichi pointed to the visible signs of fatigue beneath her eyes and acknowledged that her extremely limited sleep pattern mirrors that of her political role model, Margaret Thatcher. Her comments followed questions about how she intends to address Japan’s long-standing issue of excessive working hours.
The prime minister drew public attention last week after summoning aides to her office for a 3am meeting to prepare for a budget committee session beginning only hours later. This came shortly after she celebrated becoming Japan’s first female leader with a pledge to “work, work, work, work and work.”
“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at most,” she said during a committee session. “It’s probably not good for my skin.”
Japan continues to struggle with a deeply rooted corporate culture that normalizes long workdays and after-hours socializing. These pressures have been linked to rising cases of karoshi—death from overwork—and are often cited as obstacles to improving the country’s declining birthrate, with many couples too exhausted to manage family responsibilities.
Critics worry that Takaichi’s relentless schedule could set expectations for workers to push themselves even harder, particularly as her administration considers adjusting caps on overtime to stimulate economic activity. Takaichi has insisted that any policy changes will prioritize employee wellbeing.
“If we can create an environment where people balance childcare, caregiving, work, and leisure according to their wishes, that would be ideal,” she said.
Her comments and work habits have prompted reactions across the political spectrum. Former economy minister Ken Saito said he was “genuinely concerned” about her health, while opposition MP Katsuhito Nakajima encouraged her to get more rest prompting a nod and a smile from the prime minister.
Sleep deprivation is not uncommon in Japan, though few match Takaichi’s minimal rest schedule. A study released on World Sleep Day in March found that people in Japan average 7 hours and 1 minute of sleep on weekdays significantly below the international average.
Since taking office at the end of October as Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi has had little downtime. Within days, she participated in the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, hosted former U.S. President Donald Trump for a state visit, and met China’s Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea.
Amid escalating tensions with China following her remarks suggesting potential Japanese military involvement in a Taiwan Strait conflict, Takaichi may be facing even more sleepless nights ahead.
