Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underwent a medical checkup at the hospital on Monday amid concerns expressed by a top official that he is suffering from fatigue due to treating the coronavirus pandemic.
Abe, the longest-serving prime minister of Japan, left the hospital after the investigation, the Jiji news agency reported.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato, a close aide to the prime minister, said he understood it was a regular check and he was “not at all” concerned about Abe’s health.
“All I know is media reports. And I understand that it was reported as a regular check,” Kato told reporters.
Abe receives a regular checkup twice a year, with his most on June 13, Kyodo News Agency said, adding Monday’s visit was a continuation of the June checkup, with a source from the hospital.
Abe’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
News of Abe’s health comes as the country reports its sharpest economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The news follows weekend remarks by Akira Amari, chair of the Liberal Democratic Party’s governing tax panel, that Abe, 65, could suffer from fatigue due to his ongoing work on the response to the virus.
“I want him to take a break,” Amari told a Fuji TV news program on Sunday. “He has a strong sense of responsibility and feels it is wrong to take a break.”
Abe, who has been in his second stint as prime minister since 2012, resigned from his first stint in 2007 due to battling ulcerative colitis, which he now keeps under control with drugs that were not available before.
Japanese media have been speculating this month about Abe’s health, including detailed reports on how hard he ran. Weekly Flash said Abe had spilled blood in his office on July 6. Reuters could not verify the report.
“I see the Prime Minister every day, and I think he has none [health] problems all because he has performed his duties smoothly, “Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on August 5 in response to questions about the report.
Abe has escaped his regular duties in recent weeks and was last seen in public on Saturday at a ceremony in Tokyo commemorating the Japanese defeat of World War II.
Although there are no reports that he is unable to carry out his duties, that would be the case, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, who is acting Minister of Finance, would take over.
SOURCE:
Reuters news agency
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