Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi makes no secret of the fact that she sees Margaret Thatcher as one of her political role models. The former British prime minister was a staunch conservative with strong beliefs on economic policy, national security, immigration and countless other right-wing positions that Takaichi shares.
It is well known that the "Iron Lady"'s reputation was partly due to her remarkable work ethic - she has repeatedly said that she only needs four hours of sleep a night.
Takaichi clearly has the same disdain for rest, having said that she expects the same level of commitment from both her ministers and the Japanese working population. It is precisely this attitude that is causing concern, however.
"I sleep between two and four hours at most a night"
After being appointed prime minister in October, Takaichi announced that she would reject the principle of work-life balance for herself: "I will work, work, work and work again", she assured.
True to her word, in November Takaichi called a meeting in her office at 3 a.m. - before the budget committee meeting, which was supposed to start at 9 a.m.
She then admitted that she sleeps between two and four hours at most a night. "It might not be very good for my skin," Takaichi joked.
Meanwhile, it was reported that in order to promote economic growth, Takaichi had asked the labor minister to examine the possibility of loosening the overtime limit, which is set at no more than 720 hours per year.
Tomoko Yoshino, the first woman to head Japan's largest labor union, Rengo, said that this number was already close to the threshold that raises the risk of "karoshi," a Japanese term for death from overwork.
"We cannot allow this upper limit to be changed," Yoshino told reporters in Tokyo. This position is also supported by a group of lawyers representing families of those who died from "karoshi." In a statement, they insisted that in a country like Japan, known for its culture of excessively long working hours, the prime minister's ideas are definitely not helpful. The National Council for the Protection of Victims of "Karoshi" also called on Takaichi to retract his "scandalous" statements.
According to Japanese government statistics, a record 1,304 deaths and health problems due to overwork were recorded in Japan in the fiscal year 2024 - 196 more than the previous year. Of these, 1,057 were related to mental disorders caused by work, including due to "abuse of power by superiors or others" and "bullying by customers".
Even some of Takaichi's ministers have expressed concern. For example, Health Minister Takamaro Fukuoka warned that there should be no "loss of life or health due to overwork".
The issue also touches on human rights, recalls Teppei Kasai of the Japanese branch of "Human Rights Watch". "I don't think this is a phenomenon unique to Japan, as toxic workplace norms also exist in many other countries. But it is characteristic of the corporate culture in Japan that the importance is exaggerated not in productivity, but in time spent at work. This can lead to a situation where employees and workers feel obligated to show up for work even when they are sick or know they will not be productive for some other reason," he told DW.
And while the pandemic has brought some positive changes to corporate culture, there are concerns that the pressure on workers could increase again, which in turn could lead to a new peak in cases of "karoshi", depression or suicide as a result of this pressure.
They are called "black companies"
Kasai is adamant that Japan must comply with the 2016 UN guidelines on working conditions. They state that countries should "set minimum standards to which they must adhere and which cannot be rejected or reduced for economic or productivity reasons".
"Everyone has the right to rest every week - as part of just and favourable conditions of work. And this means that no one should feel forced to "choose" to work 90 hours a week," says the human rights activist.
Prime Minister Takaichi's comments have only intensified the public debate about long working hours in Japan - many workers had already started sharing on social media that they were working 18-hour days.
Issei, 27, says he had hoped to find a stable job straight after graduating. Instead, he changed companies that required too many overtime hours and where the culture was "challenging" for anyone expecting a reasonable work-life balance. "We call them "black companies". It was really, really hard," says Issei, who does not want to give his last name because he is currently applying for new positions. The young man admits that he is very depressed when he reads about people dying from "karoshi" or commit suicide due to overwork or pressure at work.
However, there are also those who cautiously support the idea of allowing anyone who wants to work extra hours to do so without breaking the law - especially during a time of economic challenges.
"The issue is complicated," said Makoto Watanabe, a professor of communications and media at Eniwa University in Hokkaido. "Some people want to work more to have a better income, but the law protects those who don't want to work indefinitely," he notes.
The professor acknowledges that Japan has indeed had a problem with suicides, illnesses and deaths from overwork. But things have improved in recent years, Watanabe says.
"I think if the laws are changed so that employers can't abuse them, then people should be able to work as long as they want," the professor says.
Author: Julian Ryall