Japanese PM Shinzo Abe announces resignation

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned today after voters deserted his scandal-plagued government and an emboldened opposition refused to back his ambitious reform agenda.

After just one year in office, a visibly emotional Abe said that a resurgent opposition was making it impossible for him to continue in the job.

"I have made my utmost efforts with my belief that we should not stop reforms. Unfortunately, the party cannot hold talks with the opposition party because I am the Prime Minister," Abe told a press conference.

"I thought the party should generate new momentum and progress under a new leader," he added.

Abe said he has instructed his Liberal Democratic Party to pick a successor "as soon as possible".

He said he decided not to delay his decision to step down any longer to avoid causing confusion in Parliament.

Abe, Japan's first premier born after World War II, and at 52 the youngest in modern times, took office last year with pledges to end legacies of defeat including rewriting the US-imposed pacifist constitution.

His approval ratings nose-dived amid public perception he lacked authority following a raft of scandals including massive mismanagement of the pension system - a sensitive issue in a rapidly ageing country.