As a member of a prominent and well-heeled family, Prime Minister Taro Aso used to spend his nights in the bars of luxury hotels before returning in the wee hours to his large house in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
Even after taking office in September, Aso, 68, continued to frequent high-class watering holes in the Hotel Okura, the Imperial Hotel and the like.
But since he finally moved into the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Jan. 19, his habits have been changing.