On 29/12, Takaichi moved into the Prime Minister's Residence (Sori Kotei), a stone and brick building adjacent to her office in central Tokyo, two months after taking office.

According to those close to the prime minister, her husband, Taku Yamamoto, will also live at the residence to receive his wife's care and support during his recovery. Yamamoto, a former lower house legislator, previously suffered a stroke.

For the past two months, Japan's first female prime minister resided in the parliamentary housing, but faced criticism for taking 35 minutes to reach her office after a major earthquake earlier in December.

Sanae Takaichi moves into the Prime Minister's Residence in central Tokyo on 29/12. *Reuters*

Takaichi later announced her move to the Sori Kotei residence to quickly handle emergencies. "Crisis management is paramount for governing the country", she posted on X.

Takaichi, 64, took office with a promise to "work, work, work, and work". The Japanese prime minister stated that since taking office, she has been so busy that she only sleeps 2-4 hours each night.

The Sori Kotei residence was completed in 1929 on a site that has witnessed many historical events. In 1932, then-Japanese prime minister Tsuyoshi Inukai was shot dead by 11 naval officers during a military coup. Four years later, Prime Minister Keisuke Okada's brother-in-law and 4 others were also shot dead in another coup. These stories fueled rumors that the residence is 'haunted'.

Former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori once confided to a friend that he was woken in the middle of the night at the residence by the sound of marching soldiers. Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese prime minister from 2001-2006, reportedly invited a Shinto priest to the residence for an exorcism.

Prime ministers Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe both did not live in the residence during their tenures. Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, once lived there and stated he was not afraid of ghosts.

Former prime minister Fumio Kishida moved into the residence in 2021 and said he saw no ghosts and slept soundly. Kishida was the first prime minister to move into the building after it had been vacant for 9 years.

Huyen Le (According to AFP, Jiji Press)