Japan's PM Abe Admitted to Hospital

World | September 13, 2007, Thursday // 00:00

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was admitted to hospital on Thursday suffering from exhaustion less than 24 hours after he suddenly announced his resignation.

Abe, 52, was seen by a doctor this morning after feeling sick and he was admitted to Keio hospital in Tokyo later in the day. His condition is not life-threatening but his doctors said he would remain in hospital for at least three or four days.

Toshifumi Hibi, one of the doctors treating Mr Abe, said the Japanese leader was suffering from gastrointestinal inflammation and had been placed on an intravenous drip.

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 health condition deepened the political crisis in the country, but at his yesterday speech Abe, visibly looking weak and exhausted did not mention anything about his health as a possible reason for his resignation.

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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