Politics The Takaichi Sanae Thread - Japan's first female Prime Minister

[thomas]

Gasp, in China, of all places?

Update 12 June 2026: The original post on X seems to have disappeared. It was a reference to her stepgrandson, Ren Yamamoto (山本蓮), from June 2026, stating that he'd enrolled in a four-year programme at a Chinese university beginning in April 2026.

There was also a report in the Independent that, too, seems to have disappeared. I wonder why.

Japan PM Takaichi’s step-grandson enrols in Chinese university amid Tokyo-Beijing row

Bilateral relations between Japan and China hit a roadbump following Takaichi’s pro-Taiwan remarks

web.archive.org

There is still this piece on a Singaporean website:

日媒爆高市早苗之孙赴华留学 忧被中国抓到软肋

（北京／东京综合讯）日本周刊上周爆料称，日本首相高市早苗唯一的孙子山本涟今年到中国一所名牌大学留学，家人临行前才把这个消息告诉她。这对高市而言犹如晴天霹雳，担忧可能被北京抓到软肋。

www.zaobao.com.sg

 

[thomas]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reportedly invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit Chequers, the British prime minister's country residence. Takaichi is said to have declined the invitation. According to unnamed government sources cited in Japanese media, the reasons were said to include her limited English ability and the fact that smoking is prohibited inside Chequers, while Takaichi is known to be a heavy smoker.

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[Lothor]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reportedly invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit Chequers, the British prime minister's country residence. Takaichi is said to have declined the invitation. According to unnamed government sources cited in Japanese media, the reasons were said to include her limited English ability and the fact that smoking is prohibited inside Chequers, while Takaichi is known to be a heavy smoker.

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That's a bit crap really and very 20th century. She's had plenty of time to learn basic English (6 years at school plus the whole of her adult life). I've been learning Welsh on Duolingo for 34 days with almost no previous exposure, and I could exchange a few pleasantries and make myself understood that I am going for a walk and a smoke ('Dw i'n mynd i am dro a smygu' would probably be close enough).

All this underlines my strong feeling that she's got no interest in Japan's welfare or in being a good PM - her only interest is in being PM.

 

[thomas]

More criticism of Takaichi, again from the Japan Press Service. That said, this may be a legitimate concern:

A foreign journalist, at a press conference held by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru on May 29, stated, "Recent press conferences with the prime minister have been limited in attendance, effectively restricting the number of questions to be asked. I don't believe Prime Minister Takaichi has answered any questions from the foreign media since taking office," and asked, "Isn't that unusual?" Kihara blandly replied, "We hold press conferences at key junctures." Another reporter pressed further, "At a previous press conference, a media outlet that coordinated the press pool said that it was informed that only one question by the coordinator would be allowed. Prime Minister Takaichi is imposing significant restrictions on questions," and asked, "Isn't this infringing on the public's right to know?" Indeed, at the prime minister's press conference on May 25 when the supplementary budget was announced, only one question was permitted. At the outset of the conference, a reporter stated, "Since we are told that we can ask only question, I will ask on behalf of the coordinating media outlet." However, the press conference with restricted questions turned into a "public relations spectacle" dominated mainly by Takaichi's one-sided explanations.

PM Takaichi restricts journalists’ questions, depriving public of their right to know - @JapanPress_wky

 

[thomas]

How China Daily views Takaichi's administration (DeepSeek video):

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[thomas]

It looks as if the honeymoon is over: PM Takaichi's approval ratings, though still higher than her predecessors', are starting to tank after weeks of bad news. Tobias Harris has the details:

In Mainichi, her net approval swung from +16 last month to -4 this month, the first poll in which her disapproval was higher than her approval. In Asahi, her approval fell from +33 to +18. In Asahi TV, her support swung from +37 to +14. In my ten-day weighted moving average, the effect of these polls was to lower the government's weighted average approval to 49.1% and its weighted average disapproval to 35.4%; adjusting for pollster bias raises the government's weighted average approval to 52%, mainly because Mainichi is an outlier, but its adjusting for bias does not affect its disapproval. There remains a question of whether Mainichi's efforts to correct for falling response rates makes it more or less reliable; perhaps all we can say is that the newspaper appears to be reaching a different sample than the pollsters relying on traditional random digit dialing – and the latter polls are moving in Mainichi's direction. The government's net approval is still positive, but it is worth stressing how significant a shift this is. This is the first time since Takaichi took office that the net approval in my weighted average has fallen below +20; until last week, it had never been below +30.

A large number of Japanese disapproved of the revision of the Imperial Household Law, but the issues run deeper.

Takaichi's approval plunges | Japan Daily Briefing

Public views shift after weeks of bad news

observingjapan.substack.com

 

[Lothor]

I really do wonder about this 20% of the population who previously supported Takaichi but have now decided she is not a good PM after all. She was Abe's most enthusiastic acolyte and has never made any secret of her strong nationalist views. It was obvious to me that she was going to prioritise nationalist projects over the bread-and-butter issues that most Japanese people are interested in. Why wasn't it obvious to those people?

 

[thomas]

Probably blinded by her bag and percussion skills.


Reacting to her falling approval ratings, Ms Takaichi posted this on Twitter. You can click the Translate link in the post.

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She is still bragging about sleeping between "zero and three hours" a day, as if that was something the electorate would praise her for. She drew bitter replies. Worth reading.

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I also noticed that some on Facebook started to refer to her as "Bakaichi".

 

[Lothor]

Probably blinded by her bag and percussion skills.


Reacting to her falling approval ratings, Ms Takaichi posted this on Twitter. You can click the Translate link in the post.

​

She is still bragging about sleeping between "zero and three hours" a day, as if that was something the electorate would praise her for. She drew bitter replies. Worth reading.

​

I also noticed that some on Facebook started to refer to her as "Bakaichi".

As someone who tends to work too hard and then suffer the consequences, I find all this boasting by Takaichi about her gambaru highly distasteful.

 

[Ukigumo]

Takaichi is copying Thatcher who famously claimed she only slept 4 hours per night.

 

[Lothor]

Takaichi is copying Thatcher who famously claimed she only slept 4 hours per night.

She didn't go on about it though, unlike Takaichi. Boasting about the amount of work she does in a country where many people (including me) know someone who has died directly or indirectly from overwork is just bad taste. Interestingly, there's a so-called Thatcher gene that allows about 1% of people to get by on four hours a night. Thatcher: Can people get by on four hours' sleep?

 

[Ukigumo]

She didn't go on about it though, unlike Takaichi. Boasting about the amount of work she does in a country where many people (including me) know someone who has died directly or indirectly from overwork is just bad taste.

Oh she's a braggart? I didn't realise karoshi was still a thing. Truly awful.

Interestingly, there's a so-called Thatcher gene that allows about 1% of people to get by on four hours a night. Thatcher: Can people get by on four hours' sleep?

It is interesting that she developed severe dementia; amyloids are supposed to be dispersed during sleep…

 

[Lothor]

Oh she's a braggart? I didn't realise karoshi was still a thing. Truly awful.

It is interesting that she developed severe dementia; amyloids are supposed to be dispersed during sleep…

Karoshi is still a thing, though I don't know if it's becoming more or less prevalent. Yes, I did wonder whether there was a link between her lack of sleep and her dementia.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I don't really like Takaichi, but I really don't wish her (or anyone else for that matter) to die of karoshi. I can kind of understand her wanting to work hard for long hours, but this is a country where they've worked hard (or so I understood it) to reduce the amount of "service overtime" (unpaid overtime). I can think of at least one place I've worked in the past where her example would be taken as an example to emulate. I personally think it's a sign that she is either unwilling or unable to delegate tasks very well. I don't think it's a good way to lead a country.

 

[Ukigumo]

I've been told by Japanese office workers that they don't necessarily work very hard but rather are expected to spend long hours at work. So asked what the did during those long hours and it seemed to consist of staring at spread sheets, data and the internet bout not really doing anything.

A friend of mine worked for Astra Zeneca. If her manager saw anyone doing overtime they would ask if they were alright and needed help with anything. They liked them to go home at 5pm and have a good work/life balance to remain productive and happy! Astra Zeneca if a very productive company.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I've been told by Japanese office workers that they don't necessarily work very hard but rather are expected to spend long hours at work. So asked what the did during those long hours and it seemed to consist of staring at spread sheets, data and the internet bout not really doing anything.

A friend of mine worked for Astra Zeneca. If her manager saw anyone doing overtime they would ask if they were alright and needed help with anything. They liked them to go home at 5pm and have a good work/life balance to remain productive and happy! Astra Zeneca if a very productive company.

I once worked at a hotel in Japan, and the weekends and holidays were a very busy time due to weddings. Working double shifts during those times was very common. I can't speak for the office jobs you've heard about, but we were busy. Plus we had to work during the week, too. It was my introduction to service overtime. Technically they can't make you do it...but you really can't get out of it.