Is Prime Minister Hayashi Asako on the brink of resignation due to her serious illness? According to Japanese media, Hayashi Asako suddenly couldn't get up and turned pale after a marathon 9-hour meeting on March 12. Although today Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Kiwaki Toshinori stated that Hayashi's current physical condition has recovered, last month she also canceled a TV program activity due to sudden health problems. Analysts point out that Hayashi Asako has been sleeping less than 4 hours a day for a long time, which may have caused serious health problems. The one she most admires, Shinzo Abe, twice resigned as prime minister in 2007 and 2020 due to health reasons.

Hayashi Asako looks very thin, and her face seems slightly deformed. People have long said that her body is overworked and her health might be problematic. This time, it seems very serious. According to reports from Japanese media such as "Mainichi Shimbun," "Nikkei Shimbun," and "Sankei Shimbun," on the 12th, during the concentrated review at the House of Representatives Budget Committee, which ran from 9 am to 6 pm, Hayashi tried to stand up but staggered and couldn't stand, sitting back on the chair and covering her face with her left hand, showing an expression of great pain. Finance Minister Katayama Haruhiko and other cabinet members and secretaries gathered around her worriedly. After resting for 2 minutes, she stood up again with someone's help and left, then received medical treatment from a doctor.

Hayashi canceled her scheduled official activities last night. Although a senior Japanese government official mentioned that Hayashi was "sleep-deprived and has no major issues" lightly, Japanese media observed that Hayashi walked from the Prime Minister's residence to the Prime Minister's Office this morning (13th) and attended the cabinet meeting, "with heavy steps and slightly lowered head," indicating that she had not fully recovered.

Another source close to Hayashi revealed that she might have a cold, and she started coughing a few days ago. However, Japanese political scholar Nakano Koichi does not believe that Hayashi Asako "is just a cold." He criticized on X platform, saying that it's hard to explain why the prime minister would miss official duties due to a cold.

Former Deputy Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Maekawa Keihei, re-posted Nakano Koichi's post and wrote in a severe tone: "It would be better if she had 'acute pneumonia' and canceled the visit to the US."

Is Hayashi Asako really just suffering from a cold? As early as February 1, Hayashi was originally scheduled to attend an NHK TV program that morning, but suddenly canceled it, with the Liberal Democratic Party stating at the time that she felt pain in her arm while participating in the House of Representatives campaign rally and had to receive treatment. On February 13, after presiding over the cabinet meeting, Hayashi suddenly left the scene and was secretly driven by a car to Keio University Hospital in Shinjuku, Tokyo. She also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, and yesterday's sudden incident has led people to suspect that her health problem is not just a simple cold, raising doubts about her political stability.

Japanese media disclosed that Hayashi is a workaholic. After becoming prime minister, she proposed the slogan "Work, work, work, work again," which无形ly brought her huge pressure. She once mentioned that she often sleeps only 2 to 4 hours a day, and combined with the great domestic political pressure and the complicated handling of Sino-Japanese relations, her physical load is even greater.

Will she follow in the footsteps of Shinzo Abe? In Japanese political history, there have been many prime ministers who resigned midway due to health issues. The most famous example is Shinzo Abe, whom Hayashi most respects. He twice resigned as prime minister in 2007 and 2020 due to health reasons, and was later assassinated.

In addition, Koizumi Junichiro suffered a cerebral infarction in April 2000 while serving as prime minister and was hospitalized, leading to the resignation of the entire cabinet, and he died about a month later. Ohira Masayoshi died in office due to a heart attack during the House of Councillors election in 1980. Ikeda Hayato resigned as prime minister due to worsening cancer after attending the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Ishibashi Ryokan fell ill with pneumonia just over two months after becoming prime minister and was forced to resign.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1859530925553668/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.