Japan's Longest Serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, Resigns

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Japan's Longest Serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, announced his resignation at a news conference on Friday. He said, "I have decided to step down from the post of the Prime Minister." He has been suffering from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease for many years. This was the reason for his resignation in 2007, as he was reelected in 2012. Since then he has been the dominant force in Japanese politics, winning a third term in 2017 and a fourth in 2019. However, his health condition seems to have deteriorated significantly.

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Key Highlights

Japan's Prime Minister Resigns citing ill health
He has been suffering from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease since teenage
His disease may hamper his decision making and thus, Mr. Abe decided to resign before the completion of his term in September 2021

Mr. Abe has been struggling with the disease since his teenage. He said he does not want his ill health to come in the way of decision making as he announced his resignation. The 65-year-old apologized to the Japanese people for not being able to complete his term in office.

In the Midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, the looming threat from North Korea and increasingly rogue China, to fill the shoes of a strong, decisive visionary leader is going to be a difficult task.

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What Next?

Kyoto news agency reported Shinzo Abe's resignation has automatically triggered a vote within his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to replace him as a leader.

The party will decide next Tuesday how to hold an election, followed by a parliamentary vote to elect a new prime minister.

The appointed Prime Minister will hold the office until Mr. Abe's remaining term in September 2021.

Deviation from the current government policies is unlikely.

Abenomics

Shinzo Abe is known for his unique economic policy. A combination of fiscal stimulus, monetary easing, and structural reforms. After being re-elected, Shinzo Abe's 'Abenomics' brought Japan out of the deflationary period. The country's economy was revived after years of stagnation. Japan regained consumer and investor confidence.

"Japan is no longer the Japan of the past," Abe said in January 2020. "We have succeeded in completely breaking through the 'wall of resignation'."

The problems that haunted Abe will continue to haunt the coming Prime Minister: Gender gap at the workforce, lopsided demographic trends, and high GDP to debt ratio.

Personal Life

Shinzo Abe comes from a political family. His Grandfather was a former prime minister and his father was a former foreign minister. Born on Sept. 21, 1954, in Nagato, Japan to Shintaro Abe and Yoko Kishi. Abe is Japan's first prime minister to be born after World War II. He studied politics at Tokyo's Seiki University and the University of Southern California. Abe was first elected to Japan's House of Representatives in 1993 aged 38. He was re-elected seven times and held a number of cabinet positions throughout the 2000s. In 2003, Abe became secretary-general of the LDP, and four years later the party's president and prime minister of Japan.