Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Resign Citing Health Problems

TOKYO, KOMPAS.com – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will resign due to health problems in a bombshell development that came as a surprise to many in the country.

Shinzo Abe will end his record-setting tenure upon his stepping down with no clear successor yet in place.

The Japanese Prime Minister announced his plan to resign at an emergency meeting at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to senior lawmaker and close Abe ally, Tomomi Inada.

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"I heard his plan. It was sudden and unexpected. I am stunned," she said.

Other lawmakers confirmed the account.

The news came hours before Abe was due to give a press conference to address speculation about his health.

It sent Tokyo stocks plunging more than two percent, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 index reversing earlier gains.

Inada told reporters Abe will stay in office until a successor is decided, most likely through an election of ruling party lawmakers and members.

Rumors about Abe's possible resignation had intensified after two recent surprise hospital visits for unspecified medical checks, but in recent days, senior government officials had suggested he would serve out the rest of the remaining year in office.

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But the decision nonetheless comes as "a big surprise", said Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor of political science at Meiji University in Tokyo.

"His resignation comes at a time when Japan is facing tough issues, including measures against the coronavirus," Nishikawa told AFP.

"There may be political confusion."

The resignation will be a bitterly familiar scenario for Abe, who stepped down just one year into his first term, in 2007, over health problems.