Japan PM Abe says he is resigning after chronic health issue resurfaces

Shigeru Ishiba, a 63-year-old hawkish former defense minister and Abe's archrival, is a favorite next leader in media surveys.

Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said on Friday that he intends to step down because a chronic health problem has resurfaced.

He told reporters that it was "gut wrenching to leave so many of his goals unfinished".

Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment.

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. He is now on a new treatment that requires IV injections.

"While there is some improvement, there