Japan's PM Shinzo Abe visits hospital in Tokyo amid health speculations

On August 16, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe checked into a hospital in Tokyo amid speculations about his health. According to reports, he had visited the hospital for "a one-day regular health checkup”. Speculation about his health started when Economy Minister Akira Amari reportedly said that the prime minister needs some rest  but he has a strong sense of responsibility and he feels it is wrong to take a break.

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Speculation regarding Shinzo Abe's health increases

According to reports, Prime Minister Abe’s previous visit to the hospital was on June 13. A hospital source reportedly said the recent visit is to conduct an additional test after the June checkup. Abe’s health became a worrisome topic when a weekly magazine reported that he had vomited blood in July. However, Yoshihide Suga  who is the Chief Cabinet Secretary has denied any such incident. He reportedly said that the Prime Minister is fulfilling his duties smoothly. 

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Reports suggest that Abe is exhausted from his fight with the novel coronavirus, speculated by few in Tokyo’s Nagatacho political district. Also, the Prime Minister has not been a part of any lengthy news conferences since the month of June. Due to his low profile, opposition parties were keeping an eye on him.

Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People reportedly said that the Prime Minister will recover soon in case he is not well. Reports suggest that other opposition lawmakers said that Abe should be replaced to avoid any political vacuum amid the pandemic. Abe has been recently criticized  for his response to the coronavirus pandemic. The slow distribution of face masks which were sponsored by the government and their low quality have been criticized on a large scale. The tourism promotion campaign despite the virus' resurgence and a last-minute change that excluded Tokyo residents from the subsidy program also enraged the citizens. 

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(Image Credits:AP)