Japan’s Takaiichi reshapes prime minister’s routine with fewer dinners and more direct messaging

Prime Minister Sanae Takaiichi marked six months in office on the 21st, maintaining approval ratings above 60% in polls as Japan’s political routines shift quietly but noticeably. At the center is her governing style, often described as the “Takaiichi way.”

At midday on the 10th, LDP Vice President Taro Aso, Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki and Acting Secretary-General Koichi Hagiuda gathered at the prime minister’s office for a lunch Takaiichi arranged. The menu was a set meal of grilled fish. It was their first such meal in four months. Afterward, Aso told Takaiichi, “Even if it’s not dinner, let’s eat like this again. Why not meet lightly over lunch?” Yomiuri Shimbun reported the remark as a kind of urging, reflecting concern she could become isolated.

For decades, Japanese prime ministers followed a familiar rhythm: work by day, dinners by night. Meals with business leaders, politicians and bureaucrats were used to trade information and build ties, giving rise to sayings such as “politics moves at night.”

Takaiichi has largely broken with that pattern. Around 6 p.m., she typically returns to the official residence next to the prime minister’s office. She eats dinner with her husband, does household chores such as laundry, and reads Diet briefing papers and policy materials. Aides say she goes back with documents in hand, saying she must study for the next day. Asahi Shimbun calculated her average return time over six months at 7:21 p.m., with only nine outside dinners or informal gatherings.

She also generally eats lunch alone and often skips meals, reportedly to secure time by herself. She has joked, according to Yomiuri, “If I eat with others, I can’t touch up my lipstick.”

The changes extend beyond meals. Takaiichi ended the customary “advance review” of answers, in which prime ministers receive in-person briefings from secretaries and officials before Diet questioning. Instead, she reads materials herself and submits questions in writing when something is unclear. She also edits draft answers by hand and sends revisions by fax. She has sharply reduced the number of meetings she chairs, and in ministerial meetings she keeps remarks to a minimum, relying more on written submissions. Yomiuri described this as the “Takaiichi way”: keeping distance from Nagatacho’s traditional behind-the-scenes consensus-building culture and emphasizing rationality.

Another hallmark is direct communication on social media. On the night of the 7th, Takaiichi posted on X about a phone call with the president of the United Arab Emirates within 10 minutes of the call ending. The government’s official announcement came about 30 minutes later. When concerns about naphtha supplies spread on social media, she posted directly to say it was a “misunderstanding.” Takaiichi has about 2.86 million followers on X, far more than former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (520,000) and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (810,000).

At the same time, she has held fewer news conferences. Over six months, she held eight formal news conferences. Ishiba and Kishida held news conferences each time budgets passed, but Takaiichi has favored brief, informal question-and-answer sessions with reporters gathered around her rather than formal news conferences. Asahi noted that unlike news conferences, where reporters can press with follow-up questions, social media is “one-way,” making it harder to probe what a leader truly means.

Her communication style aligns with a more self-directed decision-making approach. In January, in the process that led to a decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, she did not consult in advance even with Aso, described as her biggest political backer. Soon after taking office, she also moved quickly to abolish an additional gasoline tax that the ruling and opposition parties had agreed on but the previous administration had delayed. Critics called the moves “arbitrary,” but both decisions ultimately coincided with high approval ratings. The contrast has been drawn with Ishiba, who, leading a minority ruling party, promoted “deliberation” but was criticized for indecision, while Takaiichi has been credited with “decisive politics.”

Asahi, citing a source at the prime minister’s office, attributed the roots of her style to resentment from having long been treated as a “non-mainstream” figure within the LDP. First elected in 1993 as an independent, Takaiichi built her career without a local political machine or a political dynasty. The paper said her pride in forging a path in an era when female politicians were rare underpins her distance from established political customs.

Takaiichi herself addressed the point in the Diet in February, saying calmly, “As you all know, I’m a woman who isn’t good at these dinner gatherings.” Rationality over custom, decisions over coordination, documents over face time: the “Takaiichi way” has presented a new model of prime minister. What it ultimately produces for Japanese politics remains the next test.

* This article has been translated by AI.

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