Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he would resign from the job just a year after taking over.

Abe was handpicked by his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi to push forward with reforms, but has failed to live up to the standards set by Koizumi.

His term has been hit from the start by a series of scandals involving senior ministers and culminated with the Liberal Democrats losing control of the upper house of parliament for the first time in history.

Abe steps down just two weeks after reshuffling the cabinet and on the day he was to be quizzed in the Parliament on extending Japan's support for the US-led operations in Afghanistan.

He did not offer a deadline for stepping down, but has reportedly told his Liberal Democrat party to look for a new leader, who would automatically become Prime Minister.

Party secretary general Taro Aso, a close ally of the outgoing PM, is considered an early favourite for the job, the BBC reported.

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