Japan's Prime Minister Resigns

Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, says he will resign because a chronic illness has resurfaced.

Concerns about Abe's health began this summer and grew this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for unspecified health checkups. Abe has acknowledged having ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment.

Abe, whose term ends in September 2021, is expected to stay on until a new party leader is elected and formally approved by the parliament.

Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson speaks with NPR's Anthony Kuhn.