Shigeru Ishiba , leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was seen napping in parliament on Monday as he was re-elected as the country's prime minister, the Independent reported.
Videos showed Shigeru closing his eyes during the plenary session of the House of Representatives while votes were being counted, prompting comments on social media criticizing his apparent sleepiness.
Late Monday, a government official answered questions about the prime minister's health at a briefing.
„The prime minister has been extremely busy and working late into the night, today he complained of a cold and took medicine for it,” said Yoshimasa Hayashi, chief cabinet secretary. He said that apart from the cold "there are no health problems".
Some lawmakers, including an opposition member, criticized Shigeru's behavior, saying it showed a lack of responsibility and commitment. “If he really fell asleep, it shows his indifference and lack of any tension,” said a lawmaker quoted by Kyodo News.
In the second round of voting in the key lower house of parliament, which has a decisive role in choosing a government leader, Ishiba won more than half of the parliamentary votes.
He secured the support of 221 MPs, while the chairman of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, received 160 votes. A total of 381 actual votes were cast.