Japan in disarray, Takagi Sanae turns to victimhood: Must cook and wash dishes, far more exhausting than men

With Japan in turmoil, Takagi Sanae has begun appealing for sympathy.

According to Japanese media reports, on October 14, Takagi publicly aired her grievances during a session of the House of Representatives’ Budget Committee.

Facing questions from lawmakers about policy direction and long-term planning, Takagi’s response drew widespread disbelief.

She told members present that as a female prime minister, she spends three to four additional hours each day—compared to her male predecessors—on personal grooming tasks including bathing, preparing breakfast, washing dishes, applying makeup, and removing it afterward.

Takagi claimed these routine domestic duties consume excessive energy and sleep time, leaving her chronically sleep-deprived and unable to find the mental space to engage in strategic thinking on Japan’s future direction and national trajectory.

Takagi assumed office in autumn 2025, having now been in power for nearly a year.

Throughout this period, she has consistently projected an image of intense work ethic, repeatedly stating in public that she is a relentless workaholic who sleeps only two to four hours per day, often convening meetings with aides at 3 a.m.

In July, she posted on a social media platform describing how she had spent the night reviewing documents in preparation for parliamentary questioning, leaving her mentally drained.

Yet when confronted with demands for a coherent, long-term vision during the budget inquiry, her justification shifted to the burden of household chores.

The Prime Minister’s Office is staffed with a large team of secretaries, administrative assistants, and logistical support personnel, with all official schedules managed exclusively by the Cabinet Secretariat.

Under such circumstances, if even basic domestic tasks like cooking breakfast and washing dishes require several hours of the prime minister’s time—directly encroaching on the capacity to deliberate on national strategy—it can only indicate a fundamental deficiency in administrative coordination and personal time management.

While many Japanese working-class women do bear heavy domestic burdens, they lack the institutional support of a state-funded staff.

Takagi’s invocation of typical household challenges faced by ordinary women to explain her own governance shortcomings quickly provoked ridicule across Japanese society.

On October 14, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Ko Hesheng formally submitted his resignation to Takagi.

The official, who joined Takagi’s cabinet in September following a reshuffle, has recently come under intense public scrutiny over allegations of abuse of public authority.

Prior to the incident, Ko had publicly stated at a local gathering that road construction funding for Nishikawa City and Nakagawa Town in Tochigi Prefecture had been significantly reduced because those regions did not support him in earlier elections.

When this statement—perceived as using public funds for political retaliation—was exposed by media outlets, further investigations revealed he was suspected of arranging free shuttle buses to transport supporters during the House of Representatives election, violating Japan’s Public Offices Election Act.

Opposition parties seized on the scandal to launch sustained questioning in the Budget Committee. Initially, Takagi attempted to shield Ko, but ultimately yielded to mounting public backlash and a formal resolution calling for accountability, accepting his resignation.

Ko thus became the first cabinet minister to resign following Takagi’s cabinet reshuffle due to scandal.

Amid ongoing fallout from the LDP’s black money scandal, Takagi’s protective stance in this personnel crisis has further eroded public trust in the party.

When the minister responsible for national food and agricultural supply treats public fiscal resources as instruments for personal vendettas against voters, while the prime minister stands before parliament lamenting the fatigue of early-morning dishwashing, the contrast is deeply ironic.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1879102291873995/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.