Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited the Akasaka Sanno Medical Center in Tokyo on Wednesday morning for a medical checkup. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the visit during a press conference, stating that it was a routine checkup that had been scheduled in advance. Hayashi reassured the public, saying, “There are no health concerns, and the prime minister’s health is not affecting his official duties.”
This visit came just days after Ishiba underwent a similar checkup at Mita Hospital of the International University of Health and Welfare in Tokyo on Saturday, which was also described as a routine medical visit by those close to him.
Ishiba’s health had come under scrutiny following an incident during the prime ministerial election in the House of Representatives on Monday, where he was seen nodding off. Hayashi later clarified that Ishiba had been suffering from a cold and was taking medication for it. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), there were discussions about the physical toll of managing a minority government, with some attributing Ishiba’s fatigue to the pressures of his position.