Japan’s first female PM Sanae Takaichi disavows work-life balance: What are the implications of relentless labor on productivity?

Work like a horse. I myself will cast aside the idea of work-life balance. I'll work, work, work, work, and work,” said Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, during her address to the Liberal Democratic Party, as quoted by ANI.

At 64, Takaichi has imprinted her name in the leaves of history. Her words echoed a well-enshrined but rarely followed philosophy of discipline and consistency. She has explicitly denied the idea of work-life balance. It is a well-known fact that hard work is the only mantra to success. But the question that arises is: Is it fine to keep one’s health and sanity at stake to achieve success?According to the 2024 Mercer Global Talent Trends Report, 82% of employees are at risk of burnout due to overwhelming workloads, chronic fatigue, and financial pressures.

Toxic productivity goes beyond long hours. It snatches off both physical energy and mental clarity, triggering irritability, emotional exhaustion, and sustained burnout.Individuals trapped in this cycle often sacrifice essential needs such as sleep, nutrition, and social connection. Operating in a perpetual “always-on” mode undermines focus, suppresses creativity, and threatens long-term health.

The allure of relentless work

Her stance resonates with global leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Musk, for example, has famously defended 80–100 hour workweeks. The idea is simple: Extraordinary effort produces extraordinary results. For some, it works. For many, it burns them out. The rhetoric of “work harder, achieve more” has always been fascinating, promising meaning and reward. But it can mask the quiet costs that pile up behind the scenes.

The human cost of endless labour

Imagine an office buzzing with employees who never stop. Meetings spill into evenings.

Weekends vanish. Coffee cups pile up next to keyboards. At first, the energy feels electric. Deadlines are met. Products launch. But gradually, cracks appear. Mistakes creep in. Creativity dries up. People get sick. People leave. The very system built to generate success begins to erode it.

How overwork hurts companies

We have always clapped and glorified overwork, but can it be the other way round? While we look forward to gains, it can challenge the notion, with decreased turnovers and fatigued employees.

Here is what companies stand to lose in the labyrinth of overwork culture.

The irony is stark: The more an organization demands, the less it may receive.

A mirror for the modern worker

Takaichi’s words strike a chord because they reflect an old truth in a new age: the human desire to do more, to achieve, to be remembered. We see it in the parent juggling multiple jobs, in the employee staying late to meet a deadline, in the student sacrificing sleep to study. The question her speech forces us to ask is simple, and uncomfortable: How much of ourselves are we willing to give for success?Her philosophy challenges a universal tension: Ambition versus well-being. Can societies and companies thrive when human limits are ignored? Can progress be built on exhaustion? Studies suggest that sustainable productivity depends not on hours logged but on balance, recovery, and mental resilience. Structured effort, not endless grind, produces the most enduring results.