Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stepped down on Friday citing health issues. He has been suffering for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but he said his condition had worsened recently. Notably, he had resigned from a previous tenure in 2007, due to the same condition. Shinzo, who began office in 2012, has the record of serving the longest tenure as the Prime Minister of the country. He is touted to remain in his post until the next Prime Minister is elected.
While filing his resignation, he said he could not make any mistakes in terms of important decision making, and therefore had decided to step down. “I made a judgement I should not continue my job as a Prime Minister,” he said. “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 is a staunch conservative who is known for stimulating the growth of Japan’s economy, with his aggressive economic policy known as “Abenomics”. He has also been credited with strengthening the country’s defences and has been a major part in increasing the country’s military spendings. However, one of the shortcomings during his tenure was his inability to revise the constitution’s pacifist Article 9, which bans a standing army for anything other than self-defence.
Finance Minister Taro Aso, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba and LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida are being seen as his potential successors.