Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's 53rd birthday arrived Friday with little to celebrate — he has been hospitalized for nine days, with no word on how soon he will be discharged, and his resignation as prime minister is scheduled for Tuesday in the Diet.
What a contrast from a year ago, when Abe was celebrating possibly his best birthday ever. One day before he turned 52, he was elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party and was about to become prime minister, fulfilling his lifetime dream of following in the footsteps of his late grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano told the Cabinet Friday that it is not certain whether Abe will even be able to attend its final meeting Tuesday, when his ministers are all scheduled to resign en masse, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura revealed.