Takaichi caused a stir last week after she summoned aides to her office for a 3am meeting to prepare for a budget committee hearing Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has said she gets by on just two to four hours sleep a night – prompting concern over her commitment to a better work-life balance among the country’s fatigued employees. Pointing to the bags beneath her eyes, Takaichi told MPs that she survives on minimal sleep – a habit she shares with her political hero Margaret Thatcher – after being asked how she would tackle Japan’s notoriously long working hours. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Prof Simon Baron-Cohen says his language was misunderstood and it is a myth that autistic people lack empathy The scientist who pioneered the “extreme male brain” theory of autism has said he regrets characterising the condition in this way because the phrase lends itself to misunderstandings. Prof Simon Baron-Cohen’s theory that autistic people strongly tend towards systemising over empathising has been hugely influential in shaping the popular perception of autism over the past two decades. But while the underlying science had stood the test of time, Baron-Cohen said, he now views the “extreme male brain” label as unhelpful. Continue reading...