Prime Minister Takaichi Needs Sleep and Rest, for the Nation's Sake

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On the night of July 20, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on her X account about her daily life at the prime minister's official residence.

One detail stood out: a description suggesting the prime minister has fallen into a pattern of chronic sleep deprivation. July 20 was a national holiday. Takaichi wrote that she was "truly grateful" for the day off, having managed to sleep five hours for the first time in a while, and that "zero to three hours of sleep has become the norm" since she took office.

She revealed that over the July weekends she had been "wrestling with mountains of documents"—the government's economic and fiscal policy guidelines, Diet responses, and the like—with what she called "unbelievable passion."

Of the previous weekend, she wrote that several thousand emails had piled up unanswered, leaving her to work through them until dawn on Monday.

Housework, Caregiving, and the Optics of Disclosure

On X, the prime minister also disclosed that on weekdays, after returning to the official residence, her private time is entirely consumed by cleaning the bath, bathing, dinner, washing up after dinner, laundry, and light housework. On the afternoon of her day off on July 20, she said she had "powered through" ironing and sewing in one go.

The prime minister has previously revealed that she handles housework herself and also cares for her husband, former Lower House member Taku Yamamoto, who uses a wheelchair.

Outsourcing some of that housework and caregiving, at least while she holds the office, could allow her to devote more of her time and energy to affairs of state.

A Question of Health Management

Prime Minister Takaichi has carried out her duties with evident dedication and a strong sense of responsibility, and that commitment is worth acknowledging. At the same time, the disclosures raise a broader question about her physical well-being.

Chronic sleep deprivation in a sitting prime minister is a matter of concern. The position requires decisions that affect the nation's fate—in diplomacy and security, disaster response, and economic policy. Fatigue that impairs judgment, or a health decline serious enough to interrupt her duties, would carry consequences well beyond her own wellbeing.

Whether this translates into changes to her routine remains to be seen.

The prime minister's conduct also draws attention from other countries. Disclosures about her physical and mental state carry the risk of inviting unwanted speculation about the stability of her leadership, a consideration that may warrant some caution in how such details are shared.