Abe set to resign, citing worsening health

Who else is qualified to step up to the top job? Im not seeing many right now. Not sure if Aso wants another turn. PM Abe will stay the course and manage the Olympics (50/50 chance of still running) then bow out directly after the closing ceremony.

This should be comedy gold, whatever the outcome the citizens will suffer. Nothing will change if we are lucky, or the whole house will plummet to new lows. Either way there is no positives to be had tonight.

@Fighto!

I'm not sure if you're joking or not. There are almost 300 career bureaucrats from his party. There's a dozen who have been politicians for over 40 years. There are numerous people who could replace him in a heartbeat.

Abe should have blocked the Chinese sooner but he didn’t -too little, too late PM Abe

Abe to discuss his health, measures to fight virus at news conference

Measures to fight virus, since march he has been talking, sorry pledged about measures but no implementation.

Imagine working for 2799 consecutive days under exponential pressure and criticisms.. no man can stand that.

Graft, not grift.

Among them will be a pledge to secure enough vaccines for everyone in the nation by early 2021, paying for this with reserve funds, Japanese media said.

Two likely falsehoods here. First, it is unlikely there will be a vaccine by early 2021. Second, where are these so-called reserve funds?

sooner he steps down the better..

but in all honestly is there anyone from the LDP who can actually lead?

Sayonara Shinzo, we hardly knew ye!

Stress can make ulcerative colitis worse. For health reasons alone he should consider resigning.

Japanese news say he will announce his resignation

Already being reported in other overseas news he has announced he will step down

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12360507

Abe called a media conference today to discuss his health and it was announced that he would step down, NHK reports.

Reports are he is announcing his resignation. Hopefully it's either Kono or Suga as his replacement.

Imagine working for 2799 consecutive days under exponential pressure and criticisms.. no man can stand that.

Not true. He took a day off to play with his dog, drink tea and then upload it to social media so everyone could see he was self-isolating

I'm gonna go with Kono...

Abe has announced intention to resign

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/40c8225de8df84f70f53f9542a901ddd81645fea

they must be slow on the catch up...)

wonder what was wrong. must be serious if he dropped out like that. Actually he wasnt such a bad PM. A hatoyama, kouzumi, kan, taro, in Japan pretty much all the same thing. Its all based on seniority and experience and the Diet club. I think even the kyosanto guy would be the same. Abe had some progressive polices, and for Japan, thats a trend changer.

Just like his namesake, Abraham Lincoln, Abraham 'Abe' Shinzo will be remembered.

He was a big flop. This three arrows never got shot from the bow. Lots of talk but no action. Just more debt and Japan foreign policy drifting nowhere. He made a bad decision to cozy up to Trump from the jump. Trump does not care about Japan unless there is the chance for a hotel to open here. Abe served the longest and he did the least.

you should start a new thread or delete the previous comments when the story changes. it makes the first group of comments look clueless as to what is going on.

Aso would be next in line constitutionally i think, but whether he accepts it would be a different story.

So Shinzo is going... And yet we had Suga, Amari, Nishimura etc until this morning saying his health is fine and he will serve out a full term ...

very similar to a neighboring country? I never believed any of of what the japanese MSM tells, but Im biased.

He was a big flop. This three arrows never got shot from the bow. Lots of talk but no action. Just more debt and Japan foreign policy drifting nowhere. He made a bad decision to cozy up to Trump from the jump.

The go to blame Trump noise, as usual. Abe got hit with the same thing the rest of the world did; COVID 19. The olympics crumbled, immigration and tourism followed. Not much he could of done. he was actually on the right path. All japanese PM are flops, nothing changes here. Abe was the most radical, and for that he deserves props. Taro chan might go more nationalistic, otherwise more of the same, its how the machine works.

So this is it.

There's not much of a legacy for him. More debt, hardly any structural reform, lots of mostly low-level corruption, more inequality across society. A Sky Tree and an Olympics to keep everyone distracted. It sounds like he wanted to do more harmful stuff, like Article 9, but was too inept or not crafty enough to pull it off.

Japanese people are not engaged in politics, which potentially could be catastrophic, but politicians here don't seem to do very much and this kind of justifies the apathy toward them. Politicians who do nothing are of course preferable to those who cause active harm.

About 5 years ago I bet a Japanese newspaper editor that Abe would never succeed in pushing through a revision of the Japanese Constitution. I win.

I'm torn on this. I'm glad to see him go, but not like this.

And if this means round 2 of an Aso administration then we are really screwed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has not resigned or thrown in the towel, so at this moment in time it is speculation. At 17:00 we will no doubt find out.

To gloat over or take pleasure from Abe San illness or misfortune is neither objective or warranted.

Politicians of all walks, will ultimately be judged on there record in office. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wont be any different.

Most of you know how I feel about Abe however to be fair I do want to thank him for the cash payouts during the virus. Thanks to it, I didn't loose my school, didn't loose my house ...... actually didn't loose anything, though I did need to cut back on some things and did have to put off my new car for a couple more years. All in all, setting aside the wasted money on masks and cash to his friends, many people in Japan have been saved financially. Now if my wife's business would get back on track, we'll survive the rest of the year.

Will miss his "eye rolling" at Trump.

Will miss him rolling into bunkers while playing golf with his BFF Trump.

Replace one crony with another. Aso next I guess.

I wish for his good health and recovery (if the reports are truthful). Also hope that the leadership transition will be done smoothly amid the virus-driven crises.

Japan's PM-ship is often short-lived. Even Abe, who is an exception to the pattern, has held the position for about 8 years in total, an equal span for a single US president in full terms or other elected leaders. It's debatable about how long and under what conditions the tenure should be set. At least I opt for and feel comfortable with circulated and shared leadership (more than life-time autocrats).

Farewell Super Abe, time to bring in the young blood ... time to step up Mr. Taro Also

I do want to thank him for the cash payouts during the virus.

Lets thank the Japanese taxpayer years into the future for that. Not Abe.

2799 consecutive days

A maelstrom of mediocrity.

Imagine working for 2799 consecutive days under exponential pressure and criticisms.. no man can stand that.

Guess you have no idea what you are talking about too if you think Abe "worked" that many days in a row.

Just because someone is in a position, does not mean they worked all that time, and with Abe, hell no!

I wish the man all the best, he had his moments, his ups and downs, but all in all, he was a decent leader, at least he held out for a very long time. When I was a kid it seemed like the Japanese PM was changing every 6 months, but he and Koizumi lasted a very long time which is very good for the country’s political stability. But if he resigns because of health reasons, I would say it’s probably dire and more serious than he will let on. Hopes and prayers for the man that he recovers.

Farewell Super Abe, time to bring in the young blood ... time to step up Mr. Taro Also

He has already been PM once and he wont get elected to lead the LDP again. It's someone else's turn.

Look for Ishiba or Suga to lead the voting for a new LDP president. You can bet that the horse-trading has already started.

That young Mori chap deserves another go

Thank you Abe san to be our Long serving prime minister

but in all honestly is there anyone from the LDP who can actually lead?

Dan,

I will mark 30yrs here in a couple weeks & sadly the answer to your questions is a big NO!

Good ! Glad he is going..!

sorry to hear about his health issue. wish him a speedy recovery.

I personally hope Motegi is the next PM.

An era is over. Abe has driven Japan into a deeper debt-bubble, has brought more inequality to the society, failed to secure a certain ratio of women in the parliament, and has ultimately and decisively failed with his Abenomic-recovery plan.

I certainly hope Japan will have brighter days in store, because you deserve so much more than what Mr. Abe Shinzo was able to deliver. His machiavellian way of doing things brought more corruption to the political system (like there wasn't enough of it before), and he never hesitated to "turn a blind eye" to unjustice when it would serve him the most in terms of support. An era of a wicked man has finally come to an end. Hurrah!

The situations are so bad that now he finally resigns. God helps whoever will become the PM! Japan's messes have become irreparable because of him and his cronies.

Called it yesterday! 10,000 yen please!

https://japantoday.com/category/politics/Abe-to-hold-press-conference-at-5-p.m.-Friday#comment-2243494

On Monday, Abe surpassed a record for longest consecutive tenure as premier set by his great-uncle Eisaku Sato half a century ago

I imagine he wanted to quit sooner, but figured he was close enough to set this new record and just stuck it out long enough to claim the victory over his great uncle.

Abe announces he’s bowing out on a Premium Friday?

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s using this as a pathetic excuse to cover up for his failures. He left nothing but a legacy of lies.

Beto RamirezToday  04:31 pm JST

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s using this as a pathetic excuse to cover up for his failures. He left nothing but a legacy of lies.

That comment does you no credit at all.

Did he stick around for a few extra weeks just to make sure that he could be the longest serving prime minister? This question should be asked. If he’s not in good condition, he should have stepped down at the soonest possible juncture.

Abe announces he’s bowing out on a Premium Friday?

Mine's a Guinness!

As expected. Still a lot of issues with various scandals and the rise of nationalistic tendencies under his stewardship.

Time for a general election and for the JCP to step up.

he and Koizumi lasted a very long time which is very good for the country’s political stability.

Yes, it's always good for countries and their people to have long term leaders. Lukashenko, Fidel Castro, Putin... maybe Trump.

This is not a question of whether Abe San steps down or not it is how it is packaged.

Medical retirement over enforced resignation.

The financial markets will make a judgement and act decisively.

There is no shortage of vulture/hyenas to scramble over the pickings.

Never been a big fan of his, but wish him all the best in his retirement.

In a pretty low-calibre field, I think Taro Kono would be the best replacement.

The situations are so bad that now he finally resigns. God helps whoever will become the PM! Japan's messes have become irreparable because of him and his cronies.

And who do you think will be the next PM? One of his cronies!

Everyone here celebrating really needs a reality check.

If his illness is so bad he feels he must resign then it must be very painful, he has my sympathy.

His legacy is best left to history, we are too close, the expression can’t see the wood for the trees comes to mind.

His replacement will be chosen in the same way as always by the same power brokers so don’t expect anything different. Having said that, as an outsider looking in the front runners are uninspiring and frankly too old. Japan could do with some new blood, but then it could do with an effective opposition but don’t hold your breath.

Whoever replaces him from LDP, it will be the S.O.S. until the next election. And, will stay the S.O.S. after the election, as well, unless the voters put a different party or coalition in power, which is pretty rare.

Hope he’s okay. For me, he’s for the most part another LDP stuffed suit. The last time we had a charismatic LDP leader who got things done was Koizumi.

His legacy is mainly juicing up temporary contract employment which has left a large part of a generation going nowhere.

Authors: next time, please don't consult Jesper Kohl. Voters: next time, please don't vote for LDP candidates.

So did he stay on just to break the record for the longest serving PM? What a joke.

Well after all you couldn't save your legacy with the Olympics, could you, Abe?- When you do crooked things behind the scenes, they will catch up with you in the end. Your reign has ended on a down note, pal, see ya later.

Great news.

And who do you think will be the next PM? One of his cronies!

Everyone here celebrating really needs a reality check.

Except there is one who may repair the damages: Taro Kono. He never joins the Nippon Kaigi or openly visits Yasukuni shrine for political reasons. His international policies focus on the formation of Asian Union and mending wounds with China/South Korea.

Last time, Shinzo Abe attempted an apology for South Koreans in 2005, and he was voted out by the ultranationalists. After that attempt, he abandoned the idea of openly softening the wounds between Japan and Asian neighbors. For this reason, I doubt Taro Kono's chance for PM will be high.

He had three arrows but no bow and the next one has a bow, but no more arrows.

As I said, people new to Japan or Japanese politics have no idea what they are talking about. A new PM means nothing, they are all the same and think alike.

Don’t be surprised if he walked away because of people criticizing him. This would make for a good cop out

Kokie, you have a chance now....

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.