Shinzo Abe hopeful of further strengthening bilateral ties between Japan, Pakistan

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Japan´s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on August 29 he will resign, ending his record-breaking tenure. Photo: AFP

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he is hopeful that the bilateral relations between Islamabad and Tokyo will be further strengthened in future.

Taking to Twitter, the longest-serving Japanese prime minister also thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for his "warm words of kindness".

Earlier, PM Imran, in a tweet, had expressed his best wishes for the Japanese premier's good health and future endeavours after he announced his resignation over health issues.

"I have decided to step down from the post of the prime minister," Abe had told a press conference last week, saying he was suffering from a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis that ended his first term in office.

Abe had added that he was receiving a new treatment for the condition, which needed to be administered on a regular basis, leaving with not enough time to discharge his duties.

Read more: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe quits over health issues

"Now that I am not able to fulfil the mandate from the people with confidence, I have decided that I should no longer occupy the position of the prime minister."

Abe is expected to stay in office until his ruling Liberal Democratic Party can choose a successor, in an election likely to take place later this month. 

Earlier, he had stepped down as prime minister just one year into his first term, in 2007.