Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is under fire after ordering government staff to attend a meeting at 3 a.m., a decision that has triggered public outrage in a country long haunted by work-related deaths and chronic overwork. Critics say the episode reinforces the disconnect between political leadership and the lived reality of a workforce battling exhaustion, burnout and a rigid corporate culture.

The controversy erupted after Takaichi convened the meeting during a period of intense political pressure. Opposition lawmakers and labour advocates argued that the timing was unnecessary and emblematic of Japan’s unhealthy expectations around long hours. The prime minister defended the decision as part of a critical policy response, but acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue.

Japan has grappled for decades with karoshi, a term meaning death from overwork, which includes fatal strokes, heart attacks and suicide linked to extreme job stress. Successive governments have pledged to curb excessive work hours, implement caps on overtime and support cultural reforms. Yet the persistence of high pressure environments within politics, business and bureaucracy continues to undermine those efforts.

The backlash highlights the enduring tension between symbolic political urgency and the country’s slow-moving struggle to reshape its work norms. Analysts say the early morning meeting may appear trivial on its own, but touches a national nerve because it mirrors a pattern of institutional demands that have historically pushed workers to breaking point.

For businesses and policymakers, the episode serves as a reminder that expectations around work hours are increasingly scrutinised by a younger generation unwilling to accept the old culture. As Japan faces labour shortages, demographic decline and rising mental health concerns, any incident that reinforces outdated work patterns risks energising public resistance.

Takaichi now faces calls to lead by example and commit publicly to healthier labour standards within government. The wider question, however, remains whether Japan can finally detach political urgency from performative displays of endurance and move toward a sustainable working model in both the public and private sectors.