Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae [Newsis]
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae [Newsis]

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae will forgo a summer vacation during the current parliamentary recess — a period traditionally used by prime ministers for overseas trips or holidays — and remain focused on work, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday.

Takaichi plans to use the mid-August Obon holiday period to oversee recovery efforts from the Kumamoto earthquake and prepare for the autumn extraordinary session of the Diet, rather than take time off.

She had considered returning to her home constituency of Nara Prefecture but canceled those plans and will not travel abroad either.

A source close to Takaichi told the Yomiuri that she has no plans for a long summer break, adding that whether she goes into the office on any given day will depend on what work needs to be done.

Since taking office, Takaichi has said her sleep has been severely limited due to late-night reading of official documents, caring for her ailing husband and handling household chores — and she will now forgo what would have been a rare extended rest.

Last month, Takaichi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that sleeping zero to three hours a night had become routine since she became prime minister, describing her days of reading documents until dawn and managing household duties. The post drew both expressions of concern for her health and calls for better time management.


husn7@heraldcorp.com