Japan PM Shinzo Abe in hospital for second time in a week

Shinzo Abe returned to hospital on Monday for more medical check for the second time in a week.

Shinzo Abe, centre, is driven to a Tokyo hospital on Monday. Picture: AFP

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to hospital on Monday for more medical checks, a week after a first visit that fuelled growing speculation about his health.

Mr Abe arrived back at his office on Monday afternoon after several hours at the hospital in Tokyo, but offered little detail on his condition.

“Today, I received detailed explanations about the results of the tests from last week, and I had additional tests,” he said.

“By taking full care of my health, I would like to continue to work hard.”

He declined to be drawn further on the nature of the tests conducted last week or on Monday, but suggested he might speak about them at “a later time”.

There has been growing speculation about whether the 65-year-old is sick, possibly with a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis that plagued him during a first term in office and contributed to his resignation a year into the job.

Even before the unexpected visit to the hospital last week there had been reports in local media claiming Mr Abe was vomiting blood, and confidantes publicly expressed concern that the Prime Minister was in need of rest.

Earlier, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga downplayed speculation about Mr Abe’s health.

“I see him every day and I don’t see any change in him,” he said.

When asked whether Mr Abe would serve out his term through September 2021, Mr Suga said: “The additional tests are being done to achieve that end.”

On August 17, Mr Abe made an unannounced visit to the same hospital where he was treated after his resignation in 2007. He spent more than seven hours at the facility, with aides saying he was undergoing health checks.

He had already completed his regular check-up in June, raising questions about what the visit ­involved. On his return to office in 2012, Mr Abe said he had overcome the ulcerative colitis.

The speculation about Mr Abe’s health comes as he breaks the country’s record for the longest consecutive term as prime minister. He was already the country’s longest-serving prime minister, counting his first and second terms in office. But as of Monday, he has been in power for 2799 uninterrupted days, breaking the record set by his great-uncle, ­Eisaku Sato.

The record comes at a difficult time for Mr Abe, who faces plummeting public support thanks to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. An opinion poll published on Sunday by the Kyodo news agency found the ­approval rating for his cabinet stands at 36 per cent, the second lowest since he returned to office in 2012.

The survey conducted over the weekend found 58.4 per cent were unhappy with the government’s handling of the coronavirus.

While Japan has seen a comparatively small outbreak — with nearly 62,000 infections and close to 1200 deaths — Mr Abe has been slammed for his economic response as well as a widely mocked program to distribute reusable cloth face masks.

AFP