{
  "id": 14852477,
  "title": "Japan's Takaichi says chores and makeup add hours to her workday, sparking debate on gender roles",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/japans-takaichi-says-chores-and-makeup-add-hours-to-her-workday",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T02:30:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261016/p2g/00m/0na/006000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a debate about gender roles in the country after revealing that she works longer hours than her male predecessors due to taking on additional responsibilities such as house chores and applying makeup. In the morning, Takaichi takes a bath, prepares breakfast and does the dishes before applying makeup, which she believes adds three to four hours to her daily workload. She acknowledged that aides initially struggled to accommodate her extra time for makeup and presentation before going on camera. Her emphasis on these traditional gender roles quickly backfired, as Japan has a norm of long work hours for men and women who also shoulder house chores and child care. Statistics show that women in Japan spend nearly five hours daily on house chores, compared to 40 minutes for men. Critics on social media argued that Takaichi's comments promote outdated views on gender equality and time management, suggesting that her issue is more about prioritizing work-life balance rather than merely needing more time to put on makeup. Her revelation of sleeping only three to zero hours a night due to her homemaking burden heightened concerns about setting a poor example for work-life balance and gender equality. Takaichi's work schedule, which saw her attend parliamentary sessions for 72 days in 2022, was also criticized. In response, a junior coalition partner suggested reducing long parliamentary sessions and providing housekeeping staff at the prime minister's residence to help her manage her workload better.",
  "summary": "TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's comments about the additional work she has to take on as a woman compared to her male predecess",
  "key_points": [
    "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi says house chores and makeup add 3-4 hours to her workday",
    "Takaichi's comments sparked debate on outdated gender roles in Japan",
    "Critics argue her issue is work-life balance, not makeup time"
  ],
  "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."
}