Takaichi spent the holiday weekend rereading policy documents and clearing a backlog of thousands of emails, according to a social media post on Tuesday. She wrote that she eked out a “full five hours of sleep for the first time in ages” — better than the “zero to three hours” she said she is accustomed to. She added that she spent her limited free time ironing undergarments, sewing fraying skirts and reinforcing loose jacket buttons.

With her comments, Takaichi seemed eager to present herself as a down-to-earth leader working non-stop for citizens. Instead, her post, which has been viewed more than 31 million times, set off a national debate about work-life balance and the hazards of sleep deprivation.

Toru Kunishige, an opposition lawmaker, warned that a prolonged lack of sleep “impairs judgment — much like a state of intoxication — and could pose a risk to national crisis management.”

Hiroyuki Konishi, another parliamentary critic, called for her resignation, saying: “The prime minister’s actual job is to set policy directions and issue instructions, not to pore over every last detail of a document.” Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of a populist conservative party, described her as hardworking but added that “resting is also a job.”

Takaichi’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some argued that Takaichi, the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister, should be given more support. While previous leaders often relied on their wives for domestic support, Takaichi appeared to be tackling house duties alone, according to Yoko Iwama, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

“Establishing a support system that allows a Japanese prime minister to focus entirely on their duties — without having to handle household chores personally — would contribute to women’s advancement in society,” Iwama wrote in the Nikkei newspaper.