Tokyo Governor Koike hospitalized due to fatigue

Oh? My husband works for the olympics and only gets a few hours of sleep a day due to the grueling demands put on their workers. He's lost so much weight and regularly falls asleep on his (only) day off during dinner, playing with our daughter. They constantly move their offices which just so happens to be further and further away from where we live. Now giving him a 2 hour (one way!) commute to work every day. He is home around 3am daily and has to leave by 7:30am. He eats both lunch and dinner at his desk every day, half of the time skipping a meal entirely just to keep up with the constant demand from his superiors and the thousands of emails he receives every day. They denied him a secretary, claiming a tight "budget" but they are perfectly happy to spend exuberant amounts of public funds on government nomikai and "gifts" for the higher ups.

He told me yesterday that this is the only time in his entire life he has ever been depressed. A man that has never complained to me about his job in the 15 years we've been together has told me he has lost hope in life because of this job.

He took this job for his love of sport and international business only to come to the realization that, not only is the Japanese government woefully unprepared and unwilling to change policy even in the most extreme circumstances, but that (despite the JOC having almost zero say in these choices - the Japanese government is in charge) he and his impossibly hard working, disturbingly unpaired coworkers are now hated by the general public.

Not only that, if he were to quit, he would be blackballed out of the profession for the rest of his life due to the Japanese system of loyalty.

I cannot wait until his contract is up and we can leave this country. I just hope my husbands mental and physical health can hold on for just a few more months. God willing.

The governor has often worked at her office on weekends to discuss coronavirus measures with senior metropolitan government officials.

Real proof that quantity doesn’t equal quality.

So many months filled with meetings with “experts” and “senior government officials” to end up still going ahead the Olympic Games, against its’ population will and medical associations.

No need to even mention the ridiculous measures that were taken to “curb the virus” during the past year, after so many meetings.

Time to start shifting the mentality of endless long meetings to a more proactive and effective approach.

With all this, wish Koike san a quick recovery.

Good time to reflect on a few things.

i wish her a speedy recovery.

I wish her good health but sorry, the people working lower down the structure work infinitely harder and deserve "rest" as well. But no, they must sacrifice their health and wellbeing to try and put on the games within the ridiculous parameters the government has set for them. The Japanese government is the worst of the Black Companies in this country.

And yes, my husband has considered quitting. However, he took an enormous reduction in salary for this job on the guarantee that once the Olympics were held and over he (and the other grossly underpaid workers) would receive a severance pay. A severance pay that many people would love to deny them (call it a bonus if you want, but even combined with his monthly salary it doesn't even approach what he was making before). If the games are cancelled, these workers won't get their severance pay. They will be jobless, in a pandemic, having spent years being paid less than your average high school teacher.

My family will be okay. My husband speaks English and is very well educated, he has options. But think of the thousands of workers that were pressured by their former employers (in the sports business) to take the prestigious job of working for the historic 2020 Olympics... for less money, more work and as it is universal contempt from the public possibly having their well-earned severance pay taken away from them?

No doubt the higher ups will get their bonuses. Koike won't go hungry. She won't have any trouble paying her bills. But Taro and Nanami who were promised their financial and social sacrifice would be well rewarded might not be able to. So you may hate the Olympics and think it's a farce (and you're probably right) but put your blame where it belongs, with the Japanese government.

@ savethegaijin

its not worth it, get out as soon as you can. There is no up side. I’m sure you and your family will have a happy life in another country. Or maybe here too, but having that work schedule will have health issues attached. And I’d rather be blackballed from a job that’s killing me then stay and have my family watch me suffer in a hospital. For what? I’m not being mean, watched my father die in a job he hated so I never want anyone to have that happen. Sorry.

Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike was admitted to hospital in the capital Tuesday due to severe fatigue as her physical condition has not been good in the past week

What it translates to: She will not be taking any media interviews for the time being.

Perhaps it might be time to retire? Cash in that tax payer funded pension. That’s as far as I’m going to go.

Perhaps the moral burden of forcing unwanted Games to a reluctant population in a pandemic took its toll.

Anyway, good recovery.

But I feel more sorry for the Games' staff who only gets the overwork and none of the benefits, as @savethegaijin showed. I wish everything goes well for you and your husband. Very sad to see that someone downvoted your post.

JsapcToday 06:58 am JST

Her life would have been much easier too if the greedy IOC had cancelled the games.

When the Olympics were canceled last year the IOC offered Shinzo a postponement to 2022. He refused it as he wanted to be Prime Minister during the Games, and his time in office would have finished this autumn.

Her life would have been much better if former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara hadn't pushed for Tokyo to be host some 20 years ago, or his successor Naoki Inose hadn't signed the ridiculous IOC contract.

No fan of Koike at all, but this horrorshow is hardly her fault.

Her life would have been much easier too if the greedy IOC had cancelled the games.

“Fatigue” in and of itself is not a medical condition requiring hospitalization. There is an underlying issue, she needs rest - which could be gotten at home, or she is hiding from the public.

How convenient.

It's stressful work destroying all these small businesses.

Not surprised. Between 2019 and 2021, everything has been a disaster. The Olympics are a joke. Actually I'm surprised she hasn't just quit.

@savethegaijin

So sorry to hear that.

Hoping for better days to come to your family.

Hang on there, the next chapter will be brighter!

Precursor to quitting? Just like Abe?

At some point people have to realize it is just not worthy the problems, scandals, opposition, overwork and just cancel the games.

Did you get a Covid test?

Lucky for her, she's an entitled LDP member, otherwise if she were an ordinary person suffering from severe covid symptoms and near death, she might not have been able to find a hospital bed.

You can see in her face that she is totally wiped out. ‘Karoshi’ goes right to the top.

Those ‘games’ make everyone sick, one way or another.

All that self-publicity must be very taxing.

Could be COVID, but we will never know.

This is what I mean when I say the Olympics Games are draining resources from the COVID fight, particularly among the senior government leaders. Their time is being preoccupied with Olympics planning when it should be completely focused on containing COVID-19. And to attempt both at the same time has now put the governor out of pocket for a week when Tokyo needs its governor to make critical decisions about COVID and rolling out vaccines.

The Olympic Games have already distracted officials and taken critical resources from the fight. And it will only get worse as the games approach and take place.

Before slinging dirt on her, remember, she inherited this problem. Can you imagine what it would have been like if it was Masuzoe, Inose or god forbid Ishihara? These games are taking its toll on many people like the spouse of one of the posters here but their numbers will never be known. After its all said and done. The IOC and the government will slap each other on the back even if it's a catastrophic disaster. It's disgusting and nauseating. The only thing we can hope for now is mitigation, because these games are going to happen. Perhaps Koike will finally come out about cancellation while she has time to reflect.

After attending hundreds of late night pointless meetings that lead to nothing for moths would make anyone mentally ill.

I know it’s a low bar - it’s practically underground - but at least regarding Coronavirus, she was far more decisive and proactive than the Useless Ossan Club. I shudder to think what Tokyo would be like now had one of them been in charge for the last year and a half.

Hopefully “fatigue” is just that and that she can get back to normal.

Hope she doesn't have covid.

@savethegaijin

Sorry to hear about your husband situation - wishing him & whole family good wishes and hoping all ends well for you guys.

Also thabk you for sharing these very personal but important status update of happenings behind the scenes which folks like myself would not be aware of - helps to appreciate the key people like your husband who are working behind the scene and will never get any public recognition..

Hang in there!!!

Health is never to be taken lightly, even in the case of Nippon Kaigi politicains like her. Not that it matters but I sincerely hope she gets well.

However, I'm really struggling to take this type of news at face value. She's been misleading the people and disappearing from the public eye whenever it was convenient. And seeing how Abe managed to wriggle himself out of his responsibilities last year (and magically start reappearing this year), it always seems like there's more to all of this.

The ones who do all the hard work are the ones who don't get any credit and don't make the news when they're pushed to the brink by their circumstances and by bad and selfish decisions of those above.

Tokyo Governor Koike hospitalized due to fatigue

If you can't take the heat, don't stay in the kitchen.

I knew this was coming. Not enough sleep, too many responsibilities ( for one person ) and an enormous amount of pressure ( ...good old Japanese way ) is asking too much. She’s not completely innocent or a victim since she has her own political ambitions, but being surrounded by incompetents and hypocritical greediness doesn’t help.

I respect this lady & wish her a speedy recovery. She is working against an archaic system.

Recall that this was the first mayor to give announcements in English for the English speaking residents of Tokyo. That takes guts to break the hanko rules. Especially for something that has no benefit in elections.

Considering she oversaw a city riddled with Covid, and works for a Government that has had several clusters within its agencies.....

'Fatigue is very common after viral infections, such as COVID and normally it settles after 2 or 3 weeks. However, in some people it can linger for weeks or months.'

YotomayaToday  10:36 am JST

The ones who do all the hard work are the ones who don't get any credit and don't make the news when they're pushed to the brink by their circumstances and by bad and selfish decisions of those above.

I think you've pretty much summed up working life across the world.

As stated when the news broke, many just “wish Ms. Koike a speedy recovery” so she can see her ‘Games to the end of the whatever, good or bad, destination it is destined to reach’. -

- “Tokyo Gov. Koike hospitalized due to fatigue“ - Jun22 10:59pm -

To be fair, @Cricky 6:50am, even those are now gone.

Right when it becomes even more imperative to start making clear, quick decisions.

Nice timing.

Run for Prime Minister !!..

Seriously though, she couldn’t be worse than the disaster we have now.

If it is Covid, don't worry, we the public will be the very last to know. Imagine the fallout and political consequences.

Hoping it's not though. She's been looking really burned out for months now (she can join the club on that one).

One of the main contingencies of a politician - continually shading the truth and engaging in outright fabrication - treating the truth as a malleable fiction - it wears the individual down.

The criticism of Koike is valid and it is not 'misogynist' - she is continually engaged in various means of connivance and maneuvering to fulfill her ambitions. Her support for The Olympics, which is contrary to all rational thinking, is a prime example. She is as right-wing as any of her counterparts in the LDP, she has been brought into the fold and represents the interests of the 'party', which she wholly embraces.

Sympathy? For what? She has been one of the prime movers in the push to hold the Olympics. Holding an international sporting event, in the midst of a pandemic, with variants & mutations of the virus currently emerging is at a minimum irresponsible - it endangers the health & welfare of an entire nation and certainly Tokyo with its almost 37 million citizens. She represents the citizens of the Tokyo metropolis, not the IOC or the JOC. Instead she acts on the behalf of interests who are primarily concerned with profits from broadcasting and other means.

Good. We won’t have to see her tired, bloated face on TV, at least not for a while. Take a good rest, Governor.

She must be, what, 75 years old? Maybe time to relax and enjoy her golden years rather than being remembered for the shambles of Tokyo 2020?

Odd. Just last week she was confronted by a Mainichi reporter about her and her staff at Nobu's almost every week night during the "SOE" after 8pm eating and drinking until after 11pm. She said they needed the Nobu's when closed so they could openly talk and have privacy. The reporter asked if she was breaching her own policies and she said, "I have been instructed on safely handling the situations.

In every live media appearance she talks for 10 mins sitting and then scrams. Her "conferences" are almost always by her own words on Zoom or Skype.

So it must be really hard for her to sit, talk, Skype and chill at Nobu's for 3 hours. Good thing she doesn't have a real job.

Ironic, must of us who lived here are fatigued from her.

honestly...who cares?

i dont at all...

Cared enough to comment about it though.

Poor Koike, "Hard to soar like an eagle while flying with a bunch of turkeys"

Hurry up and get back on your feet.

Good Luck.

Being an IOC puppet must cause fatigue. Get well soon, they need you.

I hope Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike takes all the time needed to recuperate.

Over work, combined with a need to work crazy hours, seems to be the scourge of J people working lives.

@savethegaijin

Your posts need to be on top of the page. JT, can you pin @savethegaijin posts on top?

I feel for your hubby depressing state. You shared what is actually going on right now and it is so sad. After reading your story, now I hate the Olympics even more, especially IOC and the gov people who are in charge. I don't want to hate but I can't help it. It is like no appreciation at all for the people working hard behind the scene. That is probably why many workers quit before the game even started, not just due to Covid reason.

I will pray for your husband and you and hope he stays strong and get through it. I am sure many of us here are cheering for him. Please tell him to hang on and don't lose heart. A big thank you to him for all the work he is doing. Arigatou.

Much information about negative side effects is being suppressed or ignored .

Much information about negative side effects is being fabricated by the dishonest. There I fixed it for you.

Not only that, if he were to quit, he would be blackballed out of the profession for the rest of his life due to the Japanese system of loyalty.

This is no longer true for newer more progressive companies. These companies will be glad to hire a person with experience like your husband.

When these godforsaken games are over, I get the feeling that Japan will be counting the cost not only in terms of money name increased COVID cases, but in terms of the physical and mental states and reputations of the people who were involved in hosting them.

If any group of people are going to come out of this with their reputations intact or improved, it will be the medical professionals who continually warned against holding the games, and the handful of business leaders who spoke out (like Mikitani and Son).

Governor (Governess?) Koike will at least get some credit for her stance on COVID, but that will be negated by her insistence on holding the games. As for the rest of them, they will be seen as weak and indecisive, and lacking utterly in leadership qualities.

To quote Queen, “was it all worth it?”

Someone needs to do a documentary on what's going on now in Japan politics. Might be a huge hit after a while.

Must be very tiring being pampered, having constant meetings, dodging accountability for the Olympics fiasco and generally avoiding taking responsibility.

Sounds like Abe's strategy.

Hope she has a nice rest.

@savethegaijin

That's terrible and cannot be acceptable. No point in staying get out ASAP. Life is precious

Asiaman7:

Pukey2Today  08:51 am JST

Lucky for her, she's an LDP member, ...

Nope.

You haven't been here long, have you? Just because someone becomes governor doesn't mean they are no longer part of the club. This Nippon Kaigi member (don't tell me, you think she's left that too?) lied about her university degree in Arabic at a university in Egypt, which started off when she failed her first year. There is quite a lot to suggest she never finished her degree, and others have been surprised at her rudimentary level of spoken Arabic.

Of course it is covid and conveniently disappear never to lose face.

Tell me how many politicians have admitted getting covid ? None except if dead perhaps.

If many presidents have caught it, Koike was sure to catch it. And age is the main factor of heavy symptoms.

With all that said, she's above her predecessors but in my opinion still far from changing much to the ill politician Japanese world.

Rest in health and retire Koike.

Let young blood replace that system.

@savethegaijin So basically the Olympics organization in Japan is a black company. Hang in there and hope for the best.

International outlets would love to hear about your husband's story. You can anonymously and safely submit his testimony (or yours) using the SecureDrop service. I know The Guardian (UK outlet) has one (just google "the guardian secure drop" or "newspaper securedrop" and follow the instructions).

We wish you well Governor.

It’s interesting how in certain select countries, if any politician even mentions the possibility of bidding for the Olympics he is immediately shot down by more rational people. I’ll bet you even after this complete debacle, Japan will be first in line the next time the Winter Olympics become available. Summer may be a bit of a stretch for a while. They just can’t help themselves.

My money's on covid.

We told her Olympics would cause health problems ... karma ?

@SavetheGaijin -- Thanks for this. I wish you the best and may you all get out of it and recover...

Ah... Texas A&M Aggie

This news was reported on all the legacy networks last night. They were correct in referring to the governor as a "key cornerstone of Japanese politics". All of America this morning is praying for her speedy recovery.

All America? Says you.

We aren't all fans like you. Especially when it comes to the bold, the coy and the crooked. Some things never change. What's in it for you?

Maybe here stomach hurts.

They say serving 2 terms as POTUS ads an extra eight years to the lifespan. I would imagine that serving as mayor of Tokyo during a pandemic/economic crisis while trying to host the Olympics would be just as stressful, if not more. I doubt Koike has gone golfing or has had fancy dinners and photo ops in the last few months though. I'd be surprised if she hadn't become a nervous wreck.

Alfie NoakesToday  07:48 am JST

JsapcToday 06:58 am JST

Her life would have been much easier too if the greedy IOC had cancelled the games.

When the Olympics were canceled last year the IOC offered Shinzo a postponement to 2022. He refused it as he wanted to be Prime Minister during the Games, and his time in office would have finished this autumn.

Her life would have been much better if former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara hadn't pushed for Tokyo to be host some 20 years ago, or his successor Naoki Inose hadn't signed the ridiculous IOC contract.

No fan of Koike at all, but this horrorshow is hardly her fault.

That's very interesting and first time I've heard it. What is your source for this?

Pukey2Today  08:51 am JST

Lucky for her, she's an LDP member, ...

Nope.

@savethegaijin hopefully he can hold on until this wasteful Olympics is over. Koike is not however deserving of sympathy as is typical LDP

Welcome to the club. The insane corporate work environment fatigues everyone in Japan with its ridiculously long hours and people being bullied into giving up 50% of their yearly paid holiday leave. At its worse, people perish because of overwork. It does not need to be that way.

過労で入院の小池知事、20年近く溺愛の愛犬「そう」ちゃん亡くなっていた

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/7dc0f8b7e2db35211bae25c13de7b23c4e263a86

Her dog she kept for 20 years died this month.

Until the 23rd of July Opening Ceremony in the games she will be recovery or not … Our concern is in there !!

Age cap of 60 for high level government positions?

Is it not COVID?

I can see little or honor, justification, nobility, politically have a pop at at Tokyo Governor Koike whilst hospitalized.

Regardless of fact, Tokyo Governor Koike has a six sense to time events exquisitely.

Tokyo Governor Koike politically wily, even when bed ridden.

This news was reported on all the legacy networks last night. They were correct in referring to the governor as a "key cornerstone of Japanese politics". All of America this morning is praying for her speedy recovery.

To all those working hard to deliver the Olympics, I feel for you.

Fortunately, once the games are over, working life in Japan will be restored back to the perfect work/life balance it was before.

This is not the time to leave the government of the city headless, Japanese really need to consider with more care their overworking patterns, taking it easy at times is much better than going all in until you need to take a looong break.

Severe fatigue is one of the side effects of the covid vaccines. Much information about negative side effects is being suppressed or ignored .

She's been through a lot, and the Olympics has just added more stress and pain to her. I wish her well in her recovery. Take all the rest needed.

@savethegaijin

your husband might consider staying at an hotel once or twice a week

Working hard before the Olympics is normal, but in Japan, having those hard and risky period working late is positively recognized, whatever the level in the organization.

It happened in my company recently, and the locals had pride to finish in the middle of the night

A part of the job was to investigate all details, most of them useless, to get completely risk free before taking a decision on an asset sale

I like the lady a lot. She must rest.

Too much mulling and considering (pandemic response) clearly took a toll on her. Wish her a full and speedy recovery though.

She’s done way better as governor than her predecessors, and it’s hard not to conclude so much of the bashing here is misogyny. I mean, her two predecessors both quit due to SCANDALS - haven’t seen any here. She’s had to deal with the pandemic and Olympics and been more decisive than a lot of oyajis would have been - better than Abe, certainly.

Wish her full and speedy recovery. The IOC needs you.

Get well soon Ms Koike.

My only comment "Get well soon Ms Koike" gets down voted ten times.

What is wrong with some of you people?