News of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's plan to resign has rocked the markets in Japan.

Share prices on the Nikkei 225 briefly tumbled more than 600 points, or 2.6 percent, after the reports. It closed Friday at 22,882, down 326 points or 1.4 percent.

Sources close to the Japanese Prime Minister say he plans to step down to deal with a health problem.

Abe Shinzo is scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day to explain his decision.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is making arrangements to hold a news conference at the prime minister's office on Friday. He is expected to mention his health, as he has recently undergone medical checks.

This will be Abe's first news conference since the one he gave in Nagasaki City on August 9. It will also be the first one at the prime minister's office since June 18. That was one day after the end of the ordinary Diet session.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has returned to work after undergoing medical checks at a Tokyo hospital.

Abe broke a record on Monday, becoming the longest-serving Japanese leader in terms of 2,799 consecutive days in office.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is visiting a hospital in Tokyo again on Monday. One of his secretaries says it is a follow-up visit scheduled after a one-day checkup Abe underwent a week earlier.

Abe arrived at Keio University Hospital in Shinjuku Ward around 10 a.m.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's current tenure in office reached 2,799 days on Monday, making him the country's longest consecutive serving prime minister.

The previous record was 2,798 days set by the late Sato Eisaku.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is visiting a Tokyo hospital on Monday. One of his secretaries says Abe is having a one-day check-up.

Abe arrived at Keio University Hospital on Monday morning.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has pledged continued support for "hibakusha," or survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing, following an appeal by the city and prefecture of Hiroshima of a ruling on so-called "black rain."

Last month a district court in Hiroshima recognized people who were exposed to the radioactive rain immediately after the bombing as "hibakusha."

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says he will work to prevent the elderly and other vulnerable people from contracting the coronavirus to avoid declaring another state of emergency.

Abe held a news conference in Nagasaki on Sunday after attending the Peace Memorial Ceremony to remember the victims of the atomic bomb.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pledged to stand by aging atomic bomb survivors in his speech during a ceremony marking 75 years since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Abe gave the address at the Peace Park in the southwestern Japanese city on Sunday. Japan also marked the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Thursday.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will carry out a thorough review of national security strategy, including missile defense.

Former defense minister Onodera Itsunori heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's national security panel. He visited Abe on Tuesday to present a proposal on missile defense formulated by the party.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has pledged that the government will do all it can to protect the elderly and other vulnerable people from coronavirus infections.

Abe told a meeting of government and ruling party members on Monday that new case counts are rising across the country. The number of severely ill patients stands at 80 nationwide.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo plans to attend the ceremonies to mark the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Abe told government and ruling coalition executives on Monday that he will participate in the ceremonies in Hiroshima on Thursday and in Nagasaki on Sunday.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says the government will carry out economic and fiscal reforms as the coronavirus outbreak is expected to further strain state finances.

Abe made the pledge after the Cabinet Office presented its latest projections at a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Friday.