Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “work, work, work, work and work” credo may be taking a toll on her after she spent 6½ hours at a hospital — just weeks after revealing that she routinely gets very little sleep. Takaichi entered a Tokyo hospital at around 10 a.m. on Monday and returned to her official residence that afternoon. Officials close to the prime minister said doctors examined her hands and conducted other health checks, adding that the results showed no particular problems.
The prime minister suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and visited the same hospital in February after injuring her right hand while greeting voters during campaigning for the Lower House election. The Japanese leader said the injury aggravated her existing condition, and she was subsequently seen wearing a protective brace. Tests found no fracture, she said, and doctors told her that she should recover once the inflammation and pain subsided.
While Monday’s visit might have been routine, the lengthy checkup has cast a renewed spotlight on Takaichi’s health and on whether her relentless work style is sustainable. In a July 20 post on X, the prime minister said getting between zero and three hours of sleep each day “had become a norm after assuming office.” She even expressed relief that she had managed a rare five hours on a day off. The same post offered a glimpse of her demanding schedule.
Takaichi described weekends spent reading thick policy papers from early morning until late at night, “battling mountains of documents” and preparing for parliamentary questioning. On weekdays, paperwork frequently kept her awake until dawn. Even during o-Bon, one of Japan’s largest holidays, Takaichi stayed busy attending a war memorial ceremony and updating her social media posts.
The Health Ministry advises adults to aim for at least six hours of sleep each night, though it acknowledges that individual needs may vary. Takaichi’s self-reported sleeping habits fall far below that benchmark. An extraordinary parliamentary session and expected personnel changes this autumn will likely offer little respite for the hard-driving leader.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
