Photograph: Haiyun Jiang/New York TimesJapan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is known as an inveterate workhorse. Ms Takaichi, speaking to parliament on November 7th, acknowledged that her early morning preparation had “caused inconvenience” to her staff. Why not Japan’s prime minister? Since being named prime minister only about three weeks ago, Ms Takaichi has had an unusually packed schedule. Shigeaki Koga, a former economic official, said in an interview that he could sympathise with Ms Takaichi’s frenetic first few weeks in office.

Source: The Irish Times November 14, 2025 19:39 UTC