Everything About the Sudden Resignation of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

During this economic downturn, no one would resign because finding a new job would be a challenge.

But one powerful man has done it, and here’s everything you need to know about the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Everything About the Sudden Resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Resignation

While this might come as a shock to some, it’s actually something that’s kind of expected if you’ve been reading the news lately.

The longest-serving prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, has just announced his resignation earlier today (28 August 2020). He said in a press conference, “I have decided to step down from the post of the prime minister.”

The Japanese politician has been Japan’s Prime Minister since 2012, but before that, he had been the country’s prime minister for a year between 26 September 2006 to September 2007.

Back then, he became Japan’s youngest prime minister at the age of 52, but resigned due to ulcerative colitis, a long-term health condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum.

After a series of House of Card politics, he won the 2012 election and was back in the prime minister seat.

So, what caused this latest resignation?

It’s the same condition: ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative Colitis: A Condition That Flares Up Every Now & Then

Despite us being so technologically advanced that we’re able to test when someone contracted COVID-19, there are still unknown medical issues in the world, and this is one of them because the cause of Ulcerative Colitis is still unknown.

Ulcerative Colitis causes inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum, and if it’s serious, it can lead to more than 10 bowel movements daily, continuous bleeding and many other symptoms. As of 2015, it has affected about 11.2 million people worldwide, and it usually affects people between the age of 15 to 30 and people above 60.

Shinzo Abe is 66 years old this year.

Usually, if the disease is serious, it’ll resurge even when the symptoms were initially gone.

Questions Raised Since the Later Part of August

Everyone’s looking at their leaders nowadays because this is the period that we’d know if our votes for them have been worth it.

In the later part of August, Shinzo Abe had visited a hospital twice, not to visit the frontline warriors fighting COVID-19 but as a patient. Back then, he was reported to have gone for medical check-ups, but Japanese media claimed that he was seen vomiting blood in his office, leading to speculations about his health.

Now we know what he’s been through, how’s the country going to be like?

Acting Prime Minister Steps in

This is important as any decision made nowadays can have serious repercussions—just imagine an acting PM opening the borders or allowing gatherings of 500 people. The coronavirus is going to have a blast.

Which is why everyone’s attention is on the person who’ll take over temporarily, and it’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who doubles as finance minister.

He is first in line to step in for Abe, followed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

This will be temporary as his political party would have to elect a new Prime Minister, and how long it takes depends on the party.

Suffice to say, leadership change during this period isn’t a goody idea, given that Japan is now fighting a second wave of COVID-19 infections:

Japan currently has 65,769 confirmed cases and 1,241 deaths.