TOKYO — Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, on Friday announced he was stepping down due to worsening health.
“I cannot be prime minister if I cannot make the best decisions for the people. I have decided to step down from my post,” Abe said during a live public broadcast to the nation.
Abe, 65, has for years battled “ulcerative colitis,” a chronic bowel condition where the colon and rectum are severely inflamed.
Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and although it has not suffered the surge in virus cases seen elsewhere, Abe has drawn fire for a clumsy early response and what critics see as a lack of leadership as infections spread.
Abe was the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump when he became President elect in November 2016. He was also instrumental in winning the 2020 Olympics for Tokyo, which were postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.
His resignation would trigger a leadership race in the Liberal Democratic Party, the winner of which must be formally elected in parliament. A new party leader would hold the post for the rest of Abe’s term until September 2021, and is likely to be elected in the coming weeks.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
On Monday, Abe surpassed a record for the longest consecutive tenure as premier, which had been set by his great-uncle Eisaku Sato half-a-century ago.
As the news of his resignation spread, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei average tumbled by 2.12 percent as markets dealt with the uncertainty. Abe has made reviving economic growth through his “Abenomics” policies and boosting Japan’s global profile, key pillars of his time in office.
His resignation comes amid an uncertain geopolitical environment, including an intensifying confrontation between the United States and China and ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.
The conservative Abe had pledged to beef up Japan’s defenses and aimed to revise the pacifist constitution, it’s unclear if his successor will take the same stance.
He resigned once before in 2007 during his first stint as prime minister, also citing ill-health but was reelected in 2012.
His last major public appearance was the 75-year memorial event of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima — marking the end of World War II and the dawn of the nuclear age.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Adela Suliman reported from London.
Reuters contributed to this report.
