Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Reports Lack of Sleep and Difficulty Balancing Home and Work Duties

Apr 24, 2026, 10:22

Introduction

Six months into her premiership, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly described experiencing long-term lack of sleep and difficulties managing household tasks alongside her governmental duties. These disclosures have prompted expressions of concern from political figures across the spectrum.

Main Body

During a meeting with former trade minister Akira Amari on an unspecified Thursday, Takaichi reportedly indicated a desire for more rest. This followed earlier statements to a parliamentary committee in which she described her free time as "quite short" because she was busy with housework, with the rest of her time spent on official work. She stated that she slept only two to four hours per night, adding that this pattern was likely bad for her skin. Takaichi also noted limitations on getting food, explaining that she is not allowed to shop or order takeout from the official residence, and that running out of frozen food would leave her without meal options. Amari confirmed that similar difficulties with meal management were raised during their meeting. Shortly after taking office, Takaichi called aides for a 3 a.m. meeting to prepare for a budget committee hearing scheduled six hours later. This incident, along with her overall workload, caused concern from both ruling and opposition party members. Amari stated he was "honestly worried" about her health, and an opposition lawmaker urged her to get more sleep. Takaichi has publicly said that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is a major inspiration; Thatcher was known for sleeping only four hours per night and publicly saying she didn''t need rest. Takaichi’s own campaign slogan—"work, work, work, work, and work"—was named Japan’s catchphrase of the year for 2025 after she won the Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest in October of the previous year. The issue of sleep is especially important in Japan, where long working hours are often mentioned as a cause of karoshi (death from overwork). Efforts to change a corporate culture that expects late hours and after-work socializing have been happening for decades. A study released on World Sleep Day in March found that Japanese adults averaged seven hours and one minute of sleep on weekdays, 38 minutes below the international average and less than the averages in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Takaichi, described as a strong conservative and a follower of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been open about her wish to move Japan clearly to the right. After moving into the prime minister’s residence with her husband late last year, she stated that he tried to bring work home rather than stay late at the office, in order to avoid keeping aides and security personnel on standby into the night.

Conclusion

Prime Minister Takaichi’s reported lack of sleep and challenges in managing domestic responsibilities have drawn attention to her demanding schedule and the broader context of overwork in Japan. While she has expressed admiration for leaders who minimized rest, her own statements have prompted expressions of concern from colleagues and opposition members alike.

Vocabulary Learning

catchphrase
A well-known, often repeated phrase associated with a person or group.口號，流行語
Example:Takaichi’s own campaign slogan was named Japan’s catchphrase of the year.
on standby
In a state of readiness to be used or to act immediately.待命，隨時準備
Example:to avoid keeping aides and security personnel on standby into the night.
prompted
Caused or made someone to do something.促使，引起
Example:These disclosures have prompted expressions of concern from political figures.
run out of
To use up all of something, leaving none left.耗盡，用光
Example:running out of frozen food would leave her without meal options.
urged
Strongly advised or encouraged someone to do something.力勸，敦促
Example:an opposition lawmaker urged her to get more sleep.

Sentence Learning

This followed earlier statements to a parliamentary committee in which she described her free time as 'quite short' because she was busy with housework, with the rest of her time spent on official work.
This sentence uses a relative clause 'in which' to give more information about the committee. 'Because' shows the reason for her free time being short. The phrase 'with the rest of her time spent' adds extra detail about how she uses her time.呢句句子用咗關係從句「in which」嚟補充關於委員會嘅資訊。「Because」表示佢空閒時間短嘅原因。而「with the rest of her time spent」呢個短語就加插咗佢點樣運用其餘時間嘅細節。
Takaichi also noted limitations on getting food, explaining that she is not allowed to shop or order takeout from the official residence, and that running out of frozen food would leave her without meal options.
This sentence uses 'explaining that' to link the reason for the limitations. The passive voice 'is not allowed' shows that someone else restricts her. The structure 'and that' connects two parallel points about food restrictions.呢句句子用咗「explaining that」嚟連接限制嘅原因。被動語態「is not allowed」表示係由其他人限制佢。而「and that」嘅結構就將兩個關於食物限制嘅並列要點連接起嚟。
The issue of sleep is especially important in Japan, where long working hours are often mentioned as a cause of karoshi (death from overwork).
The relative clause 'where' refers to Japan and adds information about the context. The passive voice 'are often mentioned' is used to report a common belief without specifying who mentions it.關係從句「where」指日本，並補充咗背景資訊。被動語態「are often mentioned」用嚟報告一個普遍嘅講法，而唔指明邊個講。
Efforts to change a corporate culture that expects late hours and after-work socializing have been happening for decades.
The relative clause 'that expects' describes the corporate culture. The present perfect continuous 'have been happening' shows an action that started in the past and continues to the present.關係從句「that expects」描述咗企業文化。現在完成進行式「have been happening」表示一個由過去開始並持續到而家嘅動作。
While she has expressed admiration for leaders who minimized rest, her own statements have prompted expressions of concern from colleagues and opposition members alike.
'While' introduces a contrast between her admiration and the concern her statements caused. The relative clause 'who minimized rest' gives more information about the leaders.「While」表示對比，對比佢嘅欽佩同佢嘅言論引起嘅擔憂。「who minimized rest」係關係從句，描述呢啲領袖。