Japan:Japan's outgoing prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has been hospitalised with exhaustion as political confusion reigns within the ruling bloc and rumours swirl about what lay behind his abrupt decision to quit.
Mr Abe, who stunned Japan on Wednesday with his resignation announcement and left his party, the ruling Liberal Democrats (LDP), scrambling for a successor, is being treated in a Tokyo hospital for a stress-induced intestinal disorder, according to his doctors.
"He is suffering from symptoms including abdominal pain, digestion problems and lack of appetite," said Dr Toshifumi Hibi. "These symptoms can be attributed to physical exhaustion and psychological stress."
The diagnosis shed some light on the 53-year-old prime minister's shock decision, despite a promise two days earlier to stay in power. It also helps explain his sometimes odd behaviour during parliamentary debates this week, when he refused to stand for questions and frequently left the room.
But political commentators continued to speculate throughout the day on other possible motives for the mysterious resignation, with some suggesting that the prime minister may be fleeing yet another money scandal.
Four of Mr Abe's cabinet ministers resigned amid allegations of financial misdeeds in just 12 months of government and he is also being investigated by at least one magazine for allegations that he had failed to pay tax on income inherited from his father.
The rumours have added to the LDP's problems as it begins the search for a new party head, who will almost certainly become the next prime minister.
Last night, the party announced it would hold its leadership election on September 23rd.
LDP secretary general Taro Aso (66), a hawkish nationalist and former foreign minister, is seen as the front runner but there were growing signs yesterday that his support was slipping, splitting the party just as it needs to circle the wagons.
Former LDP secretary general Makoto Koga was one of several influential party elders who said Mr Aso had been tainted by his close association with the Abe government and would have to share the blame for its failures.
Finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga (63) was the first yesterday to announce his candidacy. Liberal LDP veteran Yasuo Fukuda (71) is also tipped to run, but former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who handpicked Mr Abe as his successor last autumn, has ruled out another term in office.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DPJ), which mauled the LDP in the July upper house poll, is demanding a quick general election to end what senior DPJ member Naoto Kan called the "chaos" left behind by Mr Abe's resignation speech. "The house should be dissolved and the public allowed to decide who rules the country," he said yesterday.
The current term of the lower house is not due to end until 2009, but a badly wounded LDP is now almost certain to be forced into an election before then, possibly early next year.