According to Japanese media such as the Asahi Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun on the 8th, Prime Minister Takaichi left her lodgings at 3:01 a.m. on the 7th and arrived at the Prime Minister's Office at 3:04 a.m.
Afterwards, he and his secretaries met for about three hours to prepare their responses to the House of Representatives Budget Committee. The Japanese media reported that "prior prime ministers have always prepared their responses early before attending the Budget Committee."
"We have had preparatory meetings in the past, but arriving to work at 3 a.m. is extremely unusual," the report said. Some bureaucrats said, "We were surprised when we heard that there would be a study session at 3 a.m."
Last month, immediately after being elected as the LDP president, Prime Minister Takaichi stated that she would "abandon the idea of work-life balance and just work and work again."
The Takaichi Cabinet's efforts to ease the upper limit on working hours have drawn criticism in Japan, with some saying that "leaders' excessive passion for work is actually putting a strain on the organization."
Prime Minister Takaichi's early arrival to work was also a topic of questioning during the House of Representatives Budget Committee. Regarding this, Prime Minister Takaichi said, "The written response was not completed on the night of the 6th, and there was only an old-style fax machine in the lodgings, so it was unavoidable.
"I apologized for causing trouble to the secretaries, bodyguards and driver who helped me," he said, apologizing for the inconvenience. At a press conference, Shiba, secretary-general of the Democratic Party for the People, said, "When the prime minister arrives at 3 a.m., the staff will be working from 1 p.m.
"I have to wait from 1 a.m.," he said, pointing out that "my body cannot withstand it." Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker Hiroaki Kuroiwa also recommended that "for crisis management purposes, he should move to the Prime Minister's Office as soon as possible."
In response, Prime Minister Takaichi said, "I have to go to South Africa for the G20 summit," and "I will move out as soon as possible once this schedule is over."
Some media outlets reported that Prime Minister Takaichi's unusually early arrival to work caused a stir, but some comments posted on Yahoo Japan were positive.
The Mainichi Shimbun also expressed concern about Takaichi's health, saying, "Some people praise her willingness to serve her country, but others point out that she is not being considerate enough as the nation's top leader."
Prior to this, Prime Minister Takaichi had sparked controversy by saying during the LDP presidential election that she would abolish salaries paid to cabinet ministers, including the prime minister.
Members of the Japanese Diet receive a monthly salary of 1,294,000 yen. The Prime Minister receives an additional 1,152,000 yen, and Cabinet members receive 489,000 yen.
If the salary cuts are implemented, the prime minister's monthly salary will decrease by up to 1.15 million yen.
2025/11/09 07:05 KST
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