In Tokyo
JAPANESE Prime Minister Taro Aso knows how to unwind after a hard day’s work, which is almost every day for the leader of the world’s second largest economy.
His predecessor Yasuo Fukuda would much rather go straight home from the office.
But Mr Aso likes to go for a meal in a restaurant, usually one in a major hotel, after which he lingers in one of the hotel’s bars, taking long drags off a cigar, before finally calling it a day.
Surprisingly, it is not difficult for the Japanese public to figure out what their prime minister does every day, even on a weekend.
It is the practice for every newspaper in Japan to have a column each day that details the previous day’s activities of the prime minister.
It includes who he met at what time and where, what events he attended, and even the name of the hotels and restaurants that he went to.
The daily schedule also includes such items as Mr Aso’s morning walk or his visits to his barber, tailor or even his masseur.
Anything a Japanese prime minister does outside his home is considered fair game to the press, which feels that the people ought to know these things.
Of late, Mr Aso’s nights out have caught the attention of the press.
It is not because his predecessors did not go out for the occasional meal; it is simply because Mr Aso outclasses them all in terms of frequency, even going to two restaurants on some nights.
When he goes out for the evening, Mr Aso gets home at around 11 pm, which is on average two hours later than his predecessors did.
Yes, the Japanese dutifully keep such statistics of their leaders.
So far, no one has raised an eyebrow at the 68-year-old Mr Aso’s nocturnal activities.
But at a time when there is much speculation over whether and when Mr Aso will dissolve the Lower House and call an early general election, the press is curious as to who else might have been breaking bread or clinking glasses with Mr Aso at night.
According to the official schedule, handed out dutifully every day by Mr Aso’s staff to the press, the prime minister mostly has dinner with only his senior aides.
But the press believes there is more than meets the eye.
On more than one occasion, the prime minister has been caught meeting key politicians or private acquaintances over a Chinese or Japanese dinner, stoking suspicions that he might have been consulting them about his election plans.
Mr Aso’s habit of disappearing into members-only bars in major hotels after a dinner only makes the press even more curious.
The Japanese leader says that his frequent nights out are part of a lifestyle that he is not going to change.
But it looks like anyone who peruses Mr Aso's daily schedule these days will be increasingly forced to read between the lines.