Breaking: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Resign

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to announce his resignation later today, Friday, because of ill health according to local media.

"He has been prime minister for nearly eight consecutive years, a significant feat in a country accustomed to high turnover in the top job," The New York Times described Abe's resignation.

[caption id="attachment_145852" align="aligncenter" width="1014"] Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 2019 Eastern Economic Forum at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island.[/caption]

The 65-year-old premier oversaw Japan’s recovery from a devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, restored a semblance of economic health, and curried favor with an unpredictable American president, Donald J. Trump, according to the New York Times.

The Japanese prime minister said during a news conference that he had suffered a relapse of the bowel disease.