Shigeru Ishiba May Have Dozed Off During Diet Vote for Prime Minister

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:27 JST, November 11, 2024

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba appeared to have fallen asleep during the first round of voting to decide the prime minister at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on Monday.

Ishiba remained still with his face down and eyes closed for several minutes. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who was sitting next to Ishiba, and others were looking at him with concern.

“This is an election to decide the head of one of the three branches of the government. It is inappropriate for him to sleep,” Japan Innovation Party leader Nobuyuki Baba told reporters.