Shinzo Abe resigns as Japan PM over health concerns

Japan PM Shinzo Abe on Friday announced that he has decided to resign over health problems, AFP reported. Abe made his decision public during a press conference. Abe, 65, has been serving as Japan PM since 2012. 

“Abe intends to resign as his illness has worsened and he worries it will cause trouble” in leading the country,” AFP quoted national broadcaster NHK, as reporting earlier in the day without citing a source.

Speculation about Shinzo Abe’s health has been swirling for weeks but reached fever pitch in recent days after he made two separate trips to hospital for unspecified medical checks, the report said.

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Japan has remained relatively less affected by the coronavirus pandemic, however, the Abe government has faced criticism for its approach towards tackling the situation. A U-turn on stimulus payments, and the decision to issue two cloth face masks to each household were heavily condemned.

This is not for the first time that Shinzo Abe has stepped down from the top post. During his first term in 2007, he had resigned over health issues. Abe was subsequently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which he said upon return to office in 2012 was under control with the help of new medication, AFP reported.