Moving into the Prime Minister’s Residence Just Two Months After Taking Office
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan moved into the official residence (the Prime Minister's living quarters) on the 29th. According to Kyodo News, Prime Minister Takaichi transferred her belongings from the House of Representatives dormitory in Akasaka, Tokyo, to the official residence on this day. She traveled in a government vehicle dressed in casual attire.
Although she took her first vacation from the 27th until January 4 of next year, she ended up moving during her time off. It has been about two and a half months since Prime Minister Takaichi took office in October, and she is now moving into the official residence, which is just a one-minute walk from her office.
The Prime Minister’s move to the official residence has attracted significant attention in Japan. As the country’s first female prime minister, she is also providing full-time care for her husband, who has mobility challenges.
Amid pressure from the opposition party, which argued that she should move into the official residence as soon as possible to respond quickly to crises such as earthquakes, Prime Minister Takaichi stated last month, “Right now, I don’t even have time to pack, and I am barely getting any sleep,” but promised, “I will move as soon as possible.” In the end, she chose to move during her vacation.
On the 21st, she also posted on the social media platform X, saying, “Crisis management is the essence of running the nation. I intend to leave my familiar residence soon and relocate to the official residence.”
Since taking office in October, Prime Minister Takaichi has stayed at the lawmakers' dormitory on weekends when she had no official duties. Even during the year-end and New Year holidays, she is expected to refrain from private outings and stay at the official residence where she has moved. This is a departure from the practices of previous prime ministers, who often stayed at hotels during the holiday season.
Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, is entering the meeting room for the Cabinet meeting on the 26th. Photo by Kyodo, Reuters, Yonhap News
The official residence is a building renovated in 2005, and after former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stepped down in 2012, it remained unused for some time. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commuted from his home in Shibuya, Tokyo, and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also commuted from the House of Representatives dormitory. It was only in 2021 that former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida moved into the official residence, making it occupied once again.
The Prime Minister’s residence carries considerable political symbolism in Japan, as it is associated with a history of coups, assassinations, and rumors of short-lived administrations. There are even rumors that the residence is “unlucky” or “haunted,” as several prime ministers who lived there had short or unfortunate tenures. Some speculate that the ghost stories are linked to the 1932 coup, when former Japanese naval officers assassinated the prime minister.
When former Prime Minister Ishiba’s move into the residence was reported in December last year, reporters asked him about the ghost rumors. He replied, “I’m from the ‘Obake no Q-Taro’ generation, so I’m not really scared.” “Obake no Q-Taro” is a famous Japanese comic from the 1960s featuring ghosts, which was especially popular among people in their 60s and 70s like former Prime Minister Ishiba.
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