"I’ve never encountered a ghost, but until recently…": Japan PM Sanae Takaichi reveals unusual experience as staff launch ‘Operation Combat’ at official residence

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has revealed an unexpectedly personal story about life inside Japan’s official residence, beginning with a question about ghosts and leading to a childhood belief in reincarnation that has stayed with her for decades.

“I’ve never encountered a ghost, but until recently, I was the one screaming when I came across cockroaches,” she wrote on X. Takaichi was responding to a question she said she is often asked about whether she has ever experienced anything supernatural at the official residence.

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‘I’ve never encountered a ghost’

Despite the residence’s long history and reputation, Takaichi said she has never seen a ghost there. Instead, one of her most memorable experiences involved an unexpected visitor that appeared despite her efforts to keep the residence clean.

What made the episode unusual was not simply the insect itself, but Takaichi’s inability to kill it. She said her reaction may have been connected to an idea about reincarnation that first took root during her childhood.

How ‘Firebird’ influenced her

Takaichi said she repeatedly read Osamu Tezuka’s Firebird when she was young. The manga explores life, death and reincarnation, and Takaichi said its depiction of the cycle of life left a deep impression on her.

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The idea that “life is connected, changing forms” remained with her as she grew older. That childhood influence came back to her when an unwanted visitor suddenly appeared near her feet at the official residence.

Rather than immediately trying to kill it, she found herself thinking: “Maybe this life is also part of that long cycle of reincarnation.” She decided to leave it alone for a while and hoped it would eventually make its own way out.

She had taken precautions at the residence

Takaichi said she had not faced a similar problem at the members’ dormitory, where she had previously stayed. After moving into the official residence, she made efforts to prevent such incidents. She carefully handled food waste, cleaned around the dining area and washed used plastic containers.

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Still, her precautions did not prevent the surprise encounter. For some time, she kept the incident to herself, waiting for the visitor to leave. Eventually, she told her secretaries what had happened.

Her staff launched ‘Operation Combat’

Her secretaries were apparently much more decisive. “It’s unclean. I’ll handle it,” Takaichi quoted one of them as saying.

The secretary then arranged what Takaichi called “Operation Combat”. The measures appeared to work. Afterward, she said there were no further sightings at the residence. But the end of the episode brought Takaichi an unexpected mix of emotions.

Takaichi said she was obviously relieved that the problem had been dealt with. Yet she also felt something else.

“I felt relieved, but also a little lonely, or maybe sad…” she wrote. The unusual anecdote offers a rare glimpse into the personal side of Japan’s prime minister, showing how a childhood story can remain powerful enough to influence even an ordinary moment decades later.