Takaichi likes to work from home … apart from the cockroaches

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters at her official residence earlier this month. | JIJI

Aug 24, 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has defended her tendency to stay at her residence unless she has official duties outside, saying it allows her to work long hours without putting an excessive burden on her staff.

“Work conducted at the official residence, such as meetings held there, are not reported as part of the prime minister’s daily schedule, but from my perspective it’s also a workplace,” Takaichi wrote on X on Saturday.

Since becoming prime minister late last year, Takaichi has become well known for a round-the-clock working style and a preference for poring over documents alone at her residence. In July, she wrote on X that she gets only “zero to three” hours of sleep each night.

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