Tokyo, Aug 28: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed intention to step down, citing his declining health, according to Japan's NHK television and other media.

Japan's Prime Minister's Office said the report could not be immediately confirmed, but that Abe was believed to be meeting top ruling officials at the party headquarters. Shinzo Abe May Resign Over Health Issues, Say Reports; Japanese PM to Address Media in Afternoon.

Concerns about Abe's chronic health issue, simmering since earlier this summer, intensified this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for unspecified health checkups. Abe in 2007 abruptly resigned from his first stint office due to his health.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)