Posted: August 28, 2020 8:00:42 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Photo: Twitter @Narendra Modi)
Hours after the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation Citing a chronic health problem, his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said it pained him to hear about his “poor health” and wished for his speedy recovery.
He also praised Abe’s “wise leadership” and “personal commitment,” which he said strengthened the India-Japan partnership like never before.
On Twitter, Modi said: “It pains me to hear about your poor health, my dear friend @AbeShinzo. In recent years, with your wise leadership and personal commitment, the India-Japan partnership has grown deeper and stronger than ever. I wish and pray for his speedy recovery. “
Hurt to hear about your poor health, my dear friend @AbeShinzo. In recent years, with your wise leadership and personal commitment, the India-Japan partnership has grown deeper and stronger than ever. I wish and pray for his speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/JjziLay2gD
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2020
By leaving office earlier in the day, Abe had apologized to the citizens for not being able to fulfill his duties. Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, said it was not up to him to decide who would be his successor.
Explained | Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns: this was his term and what happens after
Abe has had ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and has said the condition was controlled with treatment. Concerns about Abe’s health increased this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital for two weeks in a row for unspecified medical checkups. He is now on a new treatment that requires intravenous injections, he said.
While there is some improvement, there is no guarantee that it will cure his condition, so he decided to quit after treatment on Monday, he said.
Abe said his health problem was under control until earlier this year, but it was discovered that he had relapsed in June when he underwent an annual checkup.
With AP inputs
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