Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent social media post describing severe sleep deprivation is drawing renewed debate about Japan’s work culture. According to reporting across outlets, Takaichi said in an X post that “zero to three hours of sleep has become the norm” since she took office in October. She describes working late into the night, including reviewing documents until dawn, and combining work with household chores. The post also says she was burdened with a large backlog of emails, referring to “thousands of accumulated emails” she had to handle over a long weekend that included a national holiday extending to Monday. Reactions are mixed: some view the comments as a candid reflection of workload realities for leaders, while others use the remarks to argue that extreme hours are entrenched and should be addressed. The post is prompting public discussion about expectations of work outside standard hours and the health and policy implications of sustained low sleep among workers and officials.