{
  "id": 14413202,
  "title": "PM says housework makes her busier than male predecessors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/pm-says-housework-makes-her-busier-than-male-predecessors",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-14T09:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/14/japan/prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-housework/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan recently revealed that she devotes \"three or four more hours\" compared to her male predecessors to handle household chores in addition to her demanding schedule. Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, shared her morning routine, which includes bathing, preparing breakfast, washing dishes, and applying makeup. She feels she spends significantly more time on these tasks than her male counterparts.\n\nAcknowledging the prevalence of rigid gender roles in Japan and the underrepresentation of women in politics, Takaichi's comments on time management emerged during a discussion about the extensive hours prime ministers typically work. A ruling coalition member inquired about the rigorous parliamentary sessions that prime ministers attend. It is common for Japanese leaders to spend 5 to 7 hours a day in parliamentary debates.\n\nLawmaker Fumitake Fujita of the Japan Innovation Party cited a study indicating that Japan's prime minister attended parliamentary sessions for 72 days in 2022, compared to 50 days in the UK and 13 in Germany. Fujita expressed concern that the prolonged parliamentary commitment for Japan's leader is not in line with global standards.\n\nTakaichi admitted to being \"consumed until dawn\" with work and parliamentary questioning, reflecting on a post she made on X in July. While she enjoys delving into documents late into the night, she finds it challenging to concentrate and think clearly about the future direction of Japan or her vision for the country, a sentiment she expressed on Wednesday.",
  "summary": "\"In the morning, I bathe, fix breakfast and then wash dishes, not to mention apply makeup,\" said Sanae Takaichi.",
  "key_points": [
    "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spends 3-4 more hours on housework than male predecessors.",
    "She handles tasks like bathing, breakfast, dishwashing, and makeup application.",
    "Takaichi's comments come amid discussion of long parliamentary sessions in Japan."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}