Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is doing much of her work from her official residence. To save time and boost efficiency, she has been using the residence next to the prime minister’s office as a regular workplace as well.
Takaichi moved into the official residence last December. Built in 1929, the building once served as the prime minister’s office itself and now sits right beside the current one. Takaichi has said this allows her to join urgent matters quickly without losing time in transit.
She said the residence’s office facilities have been expanded, allowing her to hold meetings with officials both in person and online. She continues working from there after office hours when needed, and takes documents home to review. In her words, the official residence has become a workplace in its own right.
But her long working hours have also drawn criticism. Takaichi recently said that, juggling work pressures and household responsibilities, she sometimes sleeps as little as zero to three hours a night on some nights. Critics say that as Japan’s first female prime minister, this working pattern risks sending the wrong message on work-life balance and gender equality.
Takaichi’s popularity has also declined. Her government has faced criticism over its push to amend royal succession law to secure a male line of succession, as well as over delays in taking economic measures despite rising living costs.
Takaichi spends much of her time at the official residence in the evenings and on holidays, which has meant less direct contact with lawmakers and government officials compared with previous prime ministers. Rather than speaking with the press, she has increasingly used the social media platform X to lay out her views and policies.
The official residence itself holds a notable place in Japanese history: two bloody coup attempts took place there in the 1930s, and ghost stories about the building have long circulated. Takaichi, however, has said she hasn’t seen any ghosts — what unnerved her more, she said, was running into a cockroach there.
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