Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that he will be resigning from the role due to ongoing ill health.

Mr Abe has had ulcerative colitis for years - a long-term condition where the bowel becomes inflamed - and said his health had declined around the middle of last month.

In a news conference the 65-year-old PM said: "I cannot be Prime Minister if I cannot make the best decisions for the people. I have decided to step down from my post."

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