Saturday, November 15, 2025

JAPANESE FASCISM

'Work, work, work!' Japan's new PM under fire for asking staff to come in at 3am

Issued on: 14/11/2025 
Play (12:41 min)
From the show



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.

Meanwhile, Japan continues to grapple with an unprecedented level of bear attacks, with a record 13 people killed as of early November. With bear sightings becoming more and more frequent in residential areas, police officers are now allowed to cull the animal with rifles.

Also on the show, three Chinese astronauts have returned home after being stranded in space following a suspected debris strike on their spaceship. After their six-month mission at China's Tiangong space station ended, their return to Earth was delayed for nearly 10 days after the vessel meant to carry them back home was damaged.

Plus, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed to put many of those implicated in a massive corruption scandal behind bars by Christmas. At least 37 senators, MPs and wealthy businesspeople are accused of syphoning off taxpayer money earmarked for flood prevention projects that never happened. The island nation has suffered the worsening impacts of climate change, most recently with a deadly super typhoon, Fung-wong.





No comments: