(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited a Tokyo hospital on Monday, Kyodo News reported, after his avoidance of extended public appearances has sparked speculation about the state of his health.
The visit was for a regular health checkup, Kyodo News added, while broadcaster TBS said he had undergone a full health examination as recently as June. Rival news network FNN said there was no plan for him to be admitted to the hospital.
Abe hasn’t held a full-length news conference since mid-June, and has rebuffed opposition calls for a new session of parliament to debate policies for controlling the coronavirus and its economic fallout.
Japan’s longest-serving prime minister resigned in 2007 after an abbreviated first term in office, citing a worsening of chronic ulcerative colitis. When he made a comeback in 2012, aides said the introduction of a new drug had enabled him to bring the condition under control.
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