TOKYO, Aug 24 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, today returned to hospital in Tokyo, a week after he purportedly received a “health checkup” amid swirling rumours about the state of his health.
According to government sources close to the prime minister, Abe returned to the Keio University Hospital, to receive the results of the medical checks conducted during the more than seven-hour regular “health checkup” a week ago.
Abe’s admission to hospital on Aug 17, came a day after former economy minister, Akira Amari, told a TV programme that the prime minister needs to rest, intimating he may be suffering from exhaustion.
“Abe feels guilty about the idea of taking a break. We need to force him to get rest, even just for a few days,” Amari, who is close to the prime minister, said at the time.
Deputy Prime Minister, Taro Aso, also weighed in on the premier’s busy schedule possibly taking its toll on his health, stating that Abe had worked for 147 consecutive days through June 20, and so it is not surprising for someone not taking a rest for that long to be in “rough shape.”
Abe, 65, during his first tenure as prime minister, which started in late Sept, 2006, abruptly stepped down from his post in 2007, due to chronic ulcerative colitis, an intestinal disease.
As concern about his health have been growing in recent days, a weekly magazine reported that Abe vomited blood at his office on July 6.
Earlier in the month however, Japan’s top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, downplayed any potential health issues Abe may be going through, stating, “I see the prime minister everyday, and I think he has no health problem at all.”– NNN-NHK
