Overview
- CCTV and media reports confirm the prime minister convened a roughly three‑hour staff session around 3 a.m. to prepare for a 9 a.m. Diet budget meeting.
- Testifying in parliament, she said she typically sleeps only two to four hours a night.
- She defended the early session by citing a fax malfunction that hindered document review and acknowledged the inconvenience to staff.
- After criticism, she shifted to preparing from her Akasaka residence, consulting aides as needed, and a higher‑performance fax machine was installed.
- Her government is discussing possible easing of overtime caps, drawing criticism from opposition figures and bereaved families as she insists any change would protect workers’ health.