Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has revealed that she felt strangely lonely after staff removed cockroaches from her official residence in Tokyo.
Takaichi shared the unusual story on August 22 while answering questions about whether she had seen ghosts inside the historic building.
She said she had never encountered a ghost. However, she had been frightened by cockroaches running through the residence.
The 65-year-old explained that she regularly cleaned beneath her dining table, properly covered food waste and washed plastic containers. Despite these efforts, she was shocked when a cockroach suddenly ran past her feet.
Takaichi said she could not bring herself to kill it because she was influenced by Osamu Tezuka’s manga Phoenix. The story explores life, death and reincarnation.
She hoped the insect would eventually leave on its own. However, her secretaries were concerned when they heard about it.
One secretary reportedly said, “It’s unclean. I’ll handle it,” before arranging pest control.
The cockroaches stopped appearing after the treatment. Although Takaichi was relieved, she admitted that she also missed their presence.
“I felt relieved, but also a little lonely, or maybe sad,” she said.
Takaichi also explained that she often works from the official residence because it is close to her office. This allows her to respond quickly during emergencies and reduces the pressure on security officers and other staff members. Her account was confirmed in reports about her August 22 social media posts and her working arrangements at the residence.
