“The greatest challenge facing us now is our response to the coronavirus. He also expressed regret at not fulfilling his core pledges - forcing North Korea to return Japanese citizens abducted decades ago; sorting out a territorial dispute with Russia; and overhauling the constitution to give more power to the military. the Tokyo Olympics, which has already been postponed. Abe’s resignation has almost certainly come too soon for the rising star Shinjiro Koizumi, the 39-year-old environment minister, whose political pedigree means his name is frequently linked with the office once occupied by his father, Junichiro. He is the man who has shaped the destiny of Japan for the better part of this decade is resigning from the Prime Minister's office due to health reasons. Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, announced Friday he is resigning from office because of a health problem. Shinzo Abe (安倍 晋三, Abe ... Party officials also said the embattled prime minister was suffering from poor health. Abe, whose term was supposed to end in September 2021, is expected to stay on until his party elects a new leader, who must then be approved by parliament. Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned Friday because a chronic illness resurfaced and he said he did not want it to affect … “There may be political confusion.”. The task of guiding Japan through the turbulence created by Abe’s unexpected departure could fall to Aso, a gaffe-prone rightwinger who also doubles as deputy prime minister. He also apologised for leaving office before resolving the cold war abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea and a territorial dispute with Russia. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has made his second trip to hospital in a week, prompting renewed concern over his health. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who suffers from an inflammatory bowel disease, returned from a check-up at a Tokyo hospital on Monday to … "I would like to sincerely apologise to the people of Japan for leaving my post with one year left in my term of office, and amid the coronavirus woes, while various policies are still in the process of being implemented," he added, making a bow. He told reporters Friday that it was “gut wrenching” to leave many of his goals unfinished. The hawk who gave his name to 'Abenomics'. A flare-up in 2007 forced him to… In a very significant development, Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who stepped down in 2020 due to health reasons features among the 7 Padma Vibhushan awardees. Shinzo Abe is the longest serving Prime Minister of Japan. Friday’s announcement came days after Abe became Japan’s longest serving prime minister, breaking the record for consecutive days in office set by his great uncle, Eisaku Sato, half a century ago. Mr Abe said he would "firmly execute my duty to the end" until a replacement was chosen. “I have lost a lot of my energy and strength,” he said. Has Shinzo Abe's 'womenomics' worked in Japan? Vaccines: Why some will have to wait until 2022. The prime minister said his health started to decline as his ulcerative colitis made a resurgence around the middle of July. VideoThe dressmaker helping Australia with modified masks. None are expected to deviate significantly from the government's current policies. Curfew riots rage for third night in Netherlands, The homeless addict who became a professor, The global plan to share Covid-19 vaccines fairly, The dressmaker helping Australia with modified masks. “I don’t want to create a sudden vacancy because of my illness, which is why I decided to resign after I received the results of my latest tests this week. He said he did not want his illness to get in the way of decision making, and apologised to the Japanese people for failing to complete his term in office. Has Sarah Sanders found her political launching pad? Farmers breach Delhi's Red Fort in huge protest. Last year, he became Japan's longest serving prime minister. Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam and scientist Narinder Singh Kapany known as the 'father of fibre optics' will be awarded Padma Vibhushan posthmously. He said he did not want his illness to get in the way of decision making, and apologised to the Japanese people for … Mr Abe announced the decision in a press conference on Friday evening, revealing that his chronic condition of … Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he would step down due to health issues and has apologised for not serving his full-term in office. Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe resigns because of ill-health. On the foreign policy front, Abe has overseen a slight thaw in relations with China, which had reached an historical low over competing claims to the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, announced his resignation because of poor health on Friday, ending a stint at the helm of the world's third-biggest economy in … Maybe a hagglebot can help, Protecting Zimbabwe's special grandmothers from Covid. He was now receiving a new treatment for the condition which had to be administered on a regular basis and would not give him enough time to carry out his prime ministerial functions, he added. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that will end a record-setting tenure with no clear successor yet in place. TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will address speculation over his health at a press conference later Friday, with reports suggesting he will say he is fit to stay in office. Abe said he would start a new treatment that requires regular injections, but that there was no guarantee it would work. Along the way, Abe weathered ministerial resignations and scandals, his Teflon qualities enhanced by the absence of a credible opposition. “It comes at a time when Japan is facing tough issues, including measures against the coronavirus,” he told Agence France-Presse. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited a Tokyo hospital on Monday for the second time within days, fanning further speculation about the state of his health. Mr Abe has a reputation as a staunch conservative and nationalist, and for stimulating growth with his aggressive economic policy known as "Abenomics". Shinzo Abe's term in office would have ended in September 2021, but he will not be completing it as his health has come in his way. Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, says he will resign because a chronic illness has resurfaced. Longest-serving prime minister, who suffers from a chronic colitis, quits because of his worsening medical condition. © 2021 BBC. On Friday evening, a stunned LDP found itself confronting an unfamiliar political vacuum several months into a pandemic that has inflicted serious damage on the world’s third-biggest economy, and with the Tokyo Olympics, which has already been postponed, hanging in the balance. Aso, 79, served as prime minister more than a decade ago and was in the post when the LDP was removed from office in a historic defeat in 2009. “In politics, the most important thing is to produce results. Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Friday he intends to step down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced. Mr Abe, who turns 66 next month, announced he is stepping down for health reasons after suffering for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. Shinzo Abe: Japanese prime minister resigns over chronic health concerns. Read about our approach to external linking. He has strengthened Japan's defences and boosted military spending, but has been unable to revise the constitution's pacifist Article 9, which bans a standing army for anything other than self-defence. His health had deteriorated since the middle of last month, he added. The Associated Press TOKYO -- Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said he is stepping down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced. Farmers angry at market reforms smashed their way through police lines to march into central Delhi. On 26 September 2007 Abe officially ended his term, and Yasuo Fukuda became the new prime minister of Japan. VideoVaccines: Why some will have to wait until 2022, Like a good deal? The 65-year-old has suffered for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but he said his condition had worsened recently. Aso could face a challenge from Ishiba, a former defence minister and Abe critic who would be a popular choice among voters but has less support among LDP MPs. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. There should be no disruption to that.”. For seven years and eight months, I have done my best to get results, but I have been struggling with my illness and I need treatment.”. Abe has gone further than any other leader of a major economy to endear himself to Donald Trump, using their shared love of golf to underline the importance of Washington’s security commitments to Japan in the face of a more assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea. 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