Japan PM Shinzo Abe quits over health concerns

Abe says return of bowel condition means he cannot continue in his position

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said he will resign over his declining health, telling a shocked country that the return of a chronic bowel condition had left him unable to steer it through the coronavirus pandemic.

“Poor health should not influence political decisions, and as long as I’m unable to meet the expectations of the Japanese people, I have decided that I cannot stay on as prime minister and will step down,” Abe told a televised news conference on Friday.

Related: Shinzo Abe: concern in Japan after second hospital visit in a week

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