Looking thin and speaking in a scratchy voice, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that ailing health prompted him to suddenly announce his resignation, and he apologized to the nation. Abe, 53, announced on September 12 he wanted to quit without mentioning his health, and checked into a hospital the following day for stress-related intestinal ailments. He was immediately criticized for not apologizing or fully explaining his decision. Abe, speaking at a news conference at his Tokyo hospital, said that he didn't think it was appropriate to discuss his health in his original announcement, but that now he regretted that decision. «After seeing my health deteriorate over the past month, I finally came to the conclusion that I had reached a physical limit,» Abe said. «I decided that I did not have the strength to meet my responsibilities as prime minister.» The resignation threw the Japanese political world into confusion. The ruling party on Sunday chose moderate Yasuo Fukuda to succeed him, and Fukuda was expected to be elected prime minister in parliament Tuesday. Abe, who appeared with his doctors, said that he would attend the parliamentary session Tuesday to elect Fukuda as his successor, and that he wanted to continue to serve as a national lawmaker, according to a report of the Associated Press.
