Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, is known as an inveterate workhorse. She often skips social gatherings and has openly rejected the idea of work-life balance.
But even by Takaichi’s standards, it was surprising when she emerged from her Tokyo residence shortly after 3am (local time) on a recent day to convene a meeting with aides ahead of an appearance before the parliament.
Takaichi has drawn criticism for holding the meeting, which took place on Friday and has become known in the Japanese news media as the “3am study session”. The issue is especially sensitive in Japan, where there have been high-profile cases in recent years of karoshi, or “death from overwork”.
Some argue that the meeting, which involved several aides and lasted about three hours, would feed into unhealthy extremes. Others said that Takaichi was placing unnecessary burdens on her staff.
Yoshihiko Noda, a former Prime Minister who leads the main Opposition party, called Takaichi’s decision to hold the meeting “crazy”. When he was Japan’s leader from 2011 to 2012, he would start work around 6am or 7am.
“It’s fine for her to work, but she should not be getting other people involved,” he said in an interview. “Everyone is in bed at that time of day. It’s a very sad attitude for the top leader of the country to show.”
Takaichi, who took office last month as Japan’s Prime Minister — the first woman to serve in that role — has sought to clarify the circumstances of the meeting. She has said that her fax machine at home was jammed (faxes are still a mainstay of communication in Japan). She decided to go to the Prime Minister’s residence — she has not yet moved in — so that she could review briefing materials there ahead of a 9am (local time) budget meeting at the Diet, Japan’s parliament.
Takaichi, speaking to the parliament on Friday, acknowledged that her early-morning preparation had “caused inconvenience” to her staff. But she said it was necessary to meet so early to rewrite drafts of answers for lawmakers on a variety of issues.
Takaichi’s supporters have defended her. Some in her party, the Liberal Democratic Party, have blamed Opposition lawmakers for submitting questions too late.
“Even a workaholic like Prime Minister Takaichi wouldn’t want to be at work at 3 a.m.,” Midori Matsushima, an LDP lawmaker, wrote on X.
Shigeaki Koga, a former economic official, said in an interview that he could sympathise with Takaichi’s frenetic first few weeks in office. But he said she should stick to her predecessors’ practice of holding meetings only after 7am or 8am.
“Three o’clock in the morning is way too early,” he said, “no matter what.”
New York Times News Service