The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top.
Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm.
In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a mixed reaction, with some interpreting it as satire, while lawyers representing people who have died from karoshi —death from overwork — described her words as unhelpful.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
Accepting her award from a private committee this week, Takaichi said she only wanted to stress her enthusiasm.
“I have no intention of encouraging other people to overwork, or suggesting long working hours as a virtue,” Takaichi said. “I hope there is no misunderstanding.”
The organizers of the annual award said the short list had included other phrases that best captured Japan’s zeitgeist this year: “First female prime minister” was the second most popular; others included “Trump’s tariffs,” “bear damage” and “old, old, old rice” — a reference to the release of stockpiled grain from the 2021 crop in an attempt to rein in soaring prices.
Photo: Kyodo News via AP
A committee picks the winning phrase from a short-listed top 10, which came from a provisional list from the publisher of Japan’s Yearbook of Contemporary Society.
Takaichi is the fourth politician to have received the award. The last, Yukio Hatoyama, won in 2009 for “change of government,” after his party ousted the LDP from office for only the second time since the mid-1950s.
As the nation’s first female prime minister, Takaichi has captured public attention for her workwear, with women scrambling to copy her style, and the interest has not worn off.
While her dress sense has won admiration from younger women who say they are “Sana-katsu,” or rooting for Sanae, it is unclear if her hardline conservative policies would win the same praise.
During her speech to party members Oct. 4 she promised an all-out effort to rebuild the struggling LDP and regain public support, urging lawmakers to “work like a horse.”
Then she added: “I will abandon the idea of a ‘work-life balance’ — I will work, work, work, work and work.”
Repeating the word “work” in a low, determined voice left a strong impression at the time.
Takaichi’s apparent long working hours and lack of sleep have worried fellow lawmakers. She held a meeting with aides at 3am before the first day of parliament on Nov. 7, although she has not started that early since.
“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at the longest,” Takaichi, who also provides care for her husband who is recovering from a stroke, told lawmakers at a budget committee meeting last month. “It’s probably bad for my skin.”
She said she likes to soak in a hot tub in the morning and at night to relax.
“That’s my blissful time,” she said.
The attention Takaichi is receiving is usually reserved for pop stars, athletes and influencers in Japan who fans have access to only through television or the internet.
The prime minister’s fans show their loyalty by buying the same bag and pen she uses, just as fans of star athletes such as Shohei Ohtani buy replicas of his uniform to cheer on the Dodgers, experts said.
Takaichi has won admiration as a new type of role model for women who have not usually rooted for prime ministers in the past, said Namiko Kubo-Kawai, a psychology professor at Nagoya Shukutoku University.
In Japan, many female role models typically were supported for their femininity, but Takaichi is unique as a high-powered politician. Her short haircut and no-frills workwear also stand out from conventional female models.
However, she might not inspire many feminists. Takaichi is a staunch conservative who champions Japan’s traditional gender and paternalistic values.
Still, as the first female prime minister, “she fits perfectly as a stylish role model and has won admiration from many women who have been looking for one, even though they probably have never thought of rooting for a prime minister,” Kubo-Kawai said. “Female role models are becoming more diverse.”
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