Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, announced Friday he is resigning from office because of a health problem. The Japanese leader spoke with reporters about his decision. He said, “Faced with the illness and treatment, as well as the pain of lacking physical strength...I decided I should not stay on as prime minister when I’m no longer capable of living up to the people’s expectations with confidence.” Abe has long battled ulcerative colitis, a chronic, or long-lasting, bowel disease. This summer, he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for medical exams. Abe said he now has a new treatment. But there is no guarantee that it will cure his condition, so he decided to resign as prime minister after treatment next Monday.