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TOKYO, Aug. 29-- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announcing Friday he would step down from his post due to the recurrence of the same intestinal disease that ended his first tenure has caught public and political circles somewhat off-guard while posing a number of uncertainties ahead for the nation. There was no doubt medical professionals had been paying close attention to the 65-year-old leader, as regular visits by Abe to hospital had not gone unnoticed, particularly two within a week recently, the first of which involved tests lasting seven-and-a-half hours. Rumors had hence been swirling about Abe's health, but had been largely downplayed by senior officials, even just hours before Abe's nationally-broadcast news conference Friday at which he confirmed his time at the top had come to an end. "Abe's health status remains unchanged," Japan's top government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. "The prime minister himself has said he would like to work hard again from now on, and I'm seeing him every day and his health status remains unchanged," Suga said, just hours before Abe delivered the surprising news he was stepping down. Similarly, when informing the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's junior coalition partner Komeito, Natsuo Yamaguchi, of his decision to step down, again just hours before the national TV conference, Yamaguchi said the news came "completely out of the blue." | 
