"Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has long cited Margaret Thatcher as one of her political role models. The former, long-serving British PM was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative with strongly held opinions on economic policy, national security, immigration and countless other right-of-center positions that Takaichi shares. Famously, the late British prime minister's reputation was in part built in her remarkable capacity for work and her insistence that she only needed four hours of sleep a night."
"Late-night meetings raise concern True to her word, Takaichi summoned key aides to her office for a 3 a.m. gathering earlier this month ahead of a budget committee meeting that was to start at 9 a.m. She followed that up by admitting that she sleeps "about two hours now, four hours at the longest" each night."
"Takaichi also asked her labor minister to look into relaxing restrictions on overtime work which are set at a maximum of 720 hours a year in order to encourage economic growth. Tomoko Yoshino, the first female head of Rengo, Japan's largest labor union group, pointed out that the figure was already close to the threshold that elevates the risk of "karoshi," the Japanese term that means death from overwork."
Sanae Takaichi models herself on Margaret Thatcher and emphasizes rigorous work habits. She announced she would "discard the term 'work-life balance' for myself. I will work, work, work and work." She has held pre-dawn meetings and said she sleeps about two to four hours nightly. She asked the labor minister to consider easing the statutory overtime cap of 720 hours per year to spur growth. Labor leaders warn that 720 hours is already near levels that increase the risk of karoshi, or death from overwork. Unions and lawyers oppose loosening the limits.
Read at www.dw.com
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