Japan PM’s pledge to ‘work, work, work, work, and work’ wins catchphrase of year
Sanae Takaichi’s not-so-catchy remarks about everyone working like a horse did not go down well in a country notorious for its demanding work cultureIt is not, perhaps, a word many people in Japan will want to hear as they prepare for the bonenkai office party season and some well-earned time off...
<p>Sanae Takaichi’s not-so-catchy remarks about everyone working like a horse did not go down well in a country notorious for its demanding work culture</p><p>It is not, perhaps, a word many people in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan">Japan</a> will want to hear as they prepare for the <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/utter-torment-japans-party-season-loses-lustre-as-workers-dread-drinking-with-the-boss">bonenkai</a></em> office party season and some well-earned time off over the new year.</p><p>But the promise made by Japan’s new prime minister, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/04/sanae-takaichi-the-new-leader-of-japans-liberal-democratic-party-who-cites-thatcher-as-an-influence">Sanae Takaichi</a>, that she would “work, work, work, work, and work” on behalf of her country has clearly struck a chord.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/02/japan-pm-sanae-takaichi-work-win-catchphrase-of-year">Continue reading...</a>
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