The global community is reacting to Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's announcement that he will resign.

In China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the government was watching the developing story.

US President Donald Trump has paid respect to Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo after he announced his intention to resign.

Trump told reporters on Friday aboard the Air Force One presidential aircraft that he had a great relationship with Abe, calling him a "great friend."

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is making arrangements to hold telephone talks with US President Donald Trump on Monday.

The prime minister announced his intention on Friday to step down due to a relapse of his illness. He suggested he will continue to carry out his duties until the next prime minister is in place.

A senior official from the administration of US President Donald Trump has expressed gratitude to Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, describing his leadership as outstanding.

The official made the comment to NHK on Friday following Abe's announcement that he intends to step down.

Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is gearing up for an election to pick a new leader following Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's announcement on Friday that he will step down due to health reasons.

The LDP is expected to officially decide at a General Council meeting next Tuesday on when and how it will hold the vote for party leader.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has formally announced his intention to resign due to a relapse of an inflammatory bowel disease.

At a news conference on Friday, Abe said that a regular checkup in June showed signs of a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, and that he began feeling physically worn down as his condition worsened around mid-July. He said doctors confirmed a relapse in early August.

The chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, says he is surprised and sorry Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is stepping down.

In a statement, Nakanishi Hiroaki says Japan faces important issues such as handling the coronavirus pandemic and reviewing its energy policy.

Rescue workers have found a man dead in a huge disused underground tank in Yokohama City, near Tokyo. The man is believed to be a missing construction worker in his 60s.

The man was found dead at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday in the cabin of the earth-moving machinery he was operating when he apparently fell into the tank on Tuesday evening.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pushed to revive the economy through his signature Abenomics policy. But challenges remain as he steps down after more than seven years for health reasons.

Abenomics tried to pull the economy out of deflation and achieve sustainable growth.

A luxury sightseeing train has begun its first tour of Hokkaido, northern Japan.

The Royal Express, jointly operated by Hokkaido Railway Company and Tokyu Corporation, is making three tours of the island in August and September.

NHK has learned that the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa is making final arrangements to extend its state of emergency over the coronavirus for a second time.

The prefecture cites the risk of intergenerational transmission as many relatives are expected to gather to honor the spirits of their ancestors during the Bon season of the lunar calendar that begins on Monday.

A search is underway for a construction worker who is believed to have fallen into a huge disused underground tank in the city of Yokohama, near Tokyo.

The man in his 60s went missing from a construction site in Yokohama's Kanazawa Ward on Tuesday evening. He was engaged in work to turn the site into a park. There is no sign of the earth-moving machinery he was operating at the time that weighs about 20 tons.

Scorching heat continued in Japan on Wednesday with temperatures in some areas topping 38 degrees Celsius.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says a very strong typhoon brought warm southerly winds and drove up temperatures mainly in areas along the Sea of Japan coast.

The season's first large vessels fishing for Pacific saury have arrived at a port in Hokkaido, northern Japan, with a combined haul amounting to only about one percent of last year's volume.

Two large ships with displacements of over 100 tons returned to Hanasaki Port in Nemuro City on Wednesday. The port has had Japan's largest catches of saury for 10 years in a row.