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or decades, Japan has grappled with a culture of long working hours, leading to dissatisfaction, mental health issues, and a declining birth rate. Since at least 2018, the country has stepped up efforts to encourage better work-life balance.B

ut Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is raising concerns that the government may abandon efforts to help exhausted worke

rs.In early November, shortly after the election on October 21, Takaichi called a meeting with top aides at 3am, and later told reporters that she only sleeps two-to-four hours a night, DW news reported, prompting concerns from government officials and labor unio

ns.Takaichi has also