Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Wednesday he would resign, the Associated Press reported. Abe, at 52 Japan's youngest postwar prime minister, said he was quitting to pave the way for ruling and opposition parties to work together to approve the extension of Tokyo's naval mission in support of the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan. «In the present situation, it is difficult to push ahead with effective policies that win the support and trust of the public,» Abe said in a nationally televised news conference. «I have decided that we need a change in this situation.» Abe, a nationalist whose public support rating has plunged to 30 percent, also cited the ruling party's defeat in July 29 elections, in which the opposition took control of the upper house of Parliament. Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano suggested Abe also had unspecified health concerns that played a role in his decision, but he refused to release any details. Abe said he had instructed ruling party leaders to immediately search for a replacement, but he did not announce a date for his departure.
