Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced on the social network X (formerly Twitter, blocked in Russia) that due to her heavy workload, she sleeps no more than three hours a night.

According to Takaichi, chronic sleep deprivation has plagued her since taking office as prime minister. She typically only manages to get sleep between midnight and 3 a.m., and even that doesn't always happen. According to the Japanese Prime Minister, she spent the entire July weekend reviewing documents day and night. The only exception was July 20, when the country celebrated Maritime Day—on that day, Takaichi managed to get five hours of sleep.

The prime minister's announcement sparked concern among both ordinary Japanese and politicians. According to The New York Times, the news had a profound impact on the country's residents, with many fearing that sleep deprivation could impact Takaichi's ability to effectively govern. Diet member Toru Kunishige said the prime minister's short night's rest could pose a threat to the nation's crisis management system.

It is noted that inemuri—daytime napping in public places, including during work hours—is common in Japan. In this tradition, sleeping at work or during a business meeting is not perceived as disrespectful, but rather as a sign of hard work, and waking a sleeping colleague is considered impolite, even during important events.