Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has sparked debate after saying she spends at least three hours a day on makeup, bathing, cooking and other chores, leaving her with less time than her male predecessors to focus on national affairs.
Speaking during a parliamentary budget hearing on Wednesday, Takaichi said her schedule was more demanding because of these additional responsibilities.
“Finding the time to sit down and focus with a truly clear head is a challenge,” she told lawmakers, most of whom were men.
“I feel that, compared to a male prime minister, I might be spending an extra three or four hours on these tasks.”
Her remarks have prompted discussion in Japan, where women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of household chores and face pressure to meet strict standards of appearance known as midashinami.
These expectations include wearing makeup in moderation and high heels, while avoiding short skirts and low-cut tops.
Supporters and critics divided over remarks
Some of Takaichi’s supporters praised her for drawing attention to the additional effort women put into their professional lives while managing household responsibilities.
“Are they saying she should show up to the Diet barefaced?” conservative writer Kotoe Hashimoto said on X, referring to Japan’s parliament.
However, some lawmakers and commentators criticised Takaichi, a staunch conservative, for reinforcing gender stereotypes.
Opposition lawmaker Yoshiko Kira said Takaichi was strengthening traditional gender expectations and undermining efforts to improve women’s rights in Japan.
“I find it deeply unsettling that the prime minister would speak as if these specific expectations regarding appearance and demeanor are simply ‘the natural order of things’ — as if they were immutable, foundational premises that cannot be challenged,” she said.
Takaichi made the remarks in response to a question about a report suggesting that Japanese prime ministers spend too much time dealing with parliamentary procedures.
The report by NXJI Research found that Japanese leaders can spend up to seven hours a day answering lawmakers’ questions. The prime minister is expected to attend parliamentary sessions for an average of about 72 days a year, compared with 50 days in Britain and 13 days in Germany.
Takaichi, who describes herself as a workaholic and has said she sleeps between zero and three hours a night, said she struggled to find time to think strategically about the country’s future.
She also said she took home a “mountain of paperwork” every day.
Demands of office and traditional expectations
Takaichi said her all-male team of aides had struggled to adapt to her schedule, including failing to set aside time for makeup before television appearances.
“They haven’t quite gotten used to the fact that I am a female prime minister rather than a male one,” she said, drawing laughter from lawmakers.
Since taking office, Takaichi has highlighted traditional values, including caring for her ailing husband, preparing meals and cleaning her official residence.
Japanese women are estimated to perform more than three-quarters of household chores. The burden is compounded by workplace expectations, with recent surveys indicating that many Japanese employees routinely work overtime, sometimes for as much as 22 hours a month.
Unlike the White House, the Japanese prime minister’s official residence does not provide an extensive team of butlers, chefs and gardeners.
In an interview published this year by monthly magazine Bungeishunju, Takaichi’s husband and former lawmaker Taku Yamamoto said a cleaner visited the residence once a week, but there was no cook.
He said he sometimes ordered pizza and made sure to obtain the delivery person’s name so the order could pass security checks.
“Access to the building is so strictly controlled, it’s like being in a prison!” he told the magazine.
Hiring domestic help is relatively uncommon in Japan, with only about 2% of households employing housekeepers, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Gender norms remain under scrutiny
Takaichi, who pledged to “work, work, work, work and work” after her election last year, has frequently highlighted her demanding schedule to project an image of a hardworking, down-to-earth leader.
Her comments in July about her sleep schedule also prompted debate over work-life balance. At the time, she said she had spent a holiday weekend ironing undergarments, sewing fraying skirts and reinforcing loose buttons on jackets.
Takaichi rose to power in Japan’s male-dominated political system but has supported policies criticised by opponents as harmful to women’s rights. She backed legislation aimed at preserving the male-only lineage of the imperial family and opposes changing a long-standing law requiring married couples to share a surname.
She has also faced sexist commentary about her clothing, hair and makeup.
The culture of midashinami extends beyond politics. Japanese schools routinely check students’ hair, nails and skirt lengths, while workplaces impose strict grooming rules.
Although appearance standards apply to both men and women, women often face greater scrutiny.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has apologised several times in recent years for forgetting to wear lipstick at news conferences. Earlier this year, an NHK television anchor also drew attention after appearing on air following an earthquake wearing glasses and seemingly no makeup.
Some companies have begun easing such expectations. Japan Airlines relaxed its dress code last year, allowing flight attendants and ground staff to wear sneakers instead of high heels.
Women express mixed views
Women interviewed outside a Tokyo subway station this week expressed differing opinions about Takaichi’s remarks.
Rina Sumi, 22, who works part-time at a cafe, said the comments were inappropriate.
“Why bring up her gender like that — as if it were an excuse?” she said.
Mika Okado, 27, a nurse who spends about an hour getting ready each day, including preparing a bento box for herself, said she was surprised by the amount of time Takaichi devoted to her routine but admired her frankness.
“In a way, it’s actually quite refreshing — she’s speaking without overthinking it,” she said.
“There’s a certain human quality to the fact that she isn’t calculating every move or anticipating how it might be perceived.”
