Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his intention to step down citing his declining health, according to Japan's NHK television and other media.
Japan’s Prime Minister’s Office said the report could not be immediately confirmed, but that Abe was believed to be meeting top ruling officials at the party headquarters.
Abe, who turns 66 next month, on Monday became Japan's longest-serving leader (in terms of consecutive days in office) with little fanfare.
Concerns about Abe’s health, simmering since earlier this summer, intensified after he made a hospital visit for the second week in a row on Monday.
The previous Monday, Abe spent more than seven hours at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo for what officials said was an additional checkup because he didn't have enough time during his earlier visit in June.
Last week's hospital visit triggered a flurry of speculation in the Japanese media about the possibility that his health was declining.
Top officials from Abe's Cabinet and the ruling party, including finance minister Taro Aso, said publicly that Abe was overworked and badly needed rest. Media members covering the prime minister's office said Abe looked tired and was moving slower that usual.
During the past week, he has spent only a few hours a day in his office, only in the afternoon.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference that Abe visited Keio University Hospital again Monday for a checkup as a follow-up to the one a week ago.
Suga had earlier brushed off worries about Abe's health. "I see him every day, but I haven't noticed anything different," he said.
Asked if Abe will be able serve another year until his term ends in September 2021, Suga said the prime minister is undergoing additional health exams to make sure he will be able to do so.
With inputs from agencies
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