When she was elected head of Japan’s ruling party, Sanae Takaichi declared that she had abandoned the term “work-life balance” and asked fellow party members to “work like a horse”. A month into office, the country’s first female prime minister appears to have put her words into action. She told parliament that she was only sleeping two to four hours at night, a few days after organising a 3am staff meeting. In a country plagued by a culture of overwork, this hasn’t gone down well.