Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Defends Routine of Working From Official Residence With Long Hours and Minimal Sleep, as She Is Accused of Isolating Herself From Other Officials

Efficiency or seclusion?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has sparked a work-life balance debate in Japan by revealing that she gets by with no sleep, or as little as three hours of rest.

Critics see Takaichi as ‘increasingly secluding herself at home’, but she defended working in her official residence – next to her office – to maximize efficiency.

She says it allows her to work long hours with less of a burden on her staff.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has defended her tendency to stay at her residence unless she has official duties outside, saying it allows her to work long hours without putting an excessive burden on her staff https://t.co/Ah4E83TrlS

— Bloomberg (@business) August 24, 2026

Read: Japan Approves Legislation That Criminalizes Desecrating the National Flag

Nikkei Asia reported:

“Since taking office, Takaichi has spent more than half of her weekends and holidays at home while devoting nearly all the rest to official business, with only one day spent on personal errands — for a dentist visit.

Takaichi’s first 286 days in office have included 94 holiday or weekend days. Of these, 51 were spent either at her official residence or at the dormitory for lower house lawmakers in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, based on Nikkei data regarding the prime minister’s activities.

[…] ‘If she goes somewhere, her security detail and secretaries need to go out, too, which is probably why she spends her time at the prime minister’s residence’, a close aide to Takaichi said.”

Takaichi says that she works even on the days spent at home, and celebrated when she slept five hours ‘for the first time in a while’.

#GlobalLens | Why Does Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Love Working from Home?

She revealed her answer in a social media post. Watch to know! @ArchanaaSolanki @ShereenBhan @CNBCTV18PrimeIN #Japan #SanaeTakaichi #WorkFromHome pic.twitter.com/DlcsqputZd

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) August 24, 2026

Fortune reported:

“In December, Takaichi moved into the official residence, a brick-and-stone mansion that opened in 1929 used to be the original prime minister’s office until its replacement was built right next to it.

Takaichi said on X that living in the official residence, or ‘kotei’, is good because its proximity requires no commute and lets her immediately get down to work in time of an emergency.

Takaichi said she has reinforced office functions at the residence so she can work and have meetings there remotely or in person with her staff whenever needed, even after office hours. She also takes home documents to read. ‘To me, the official residence is also a workplace’, she said.”

She is now facing criticisms that for ‘setting a wrong example for a work-life balance and gender-equality’, and also for ‘having significantly less interactions and communication with other lawmakers and officials than her predecessors’.

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