In this Feb. 18, 2021 file photo, Wataru Takeshita, former chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party General Council, speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi)

       MATSUE, Japan (Kyodo) -- Wataru Takeshita, who heads a major faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Thursday he will retire from politics for health reasons, ruling him out of the next House of Representatives election to be held by this fall.

       The announcement came as the 74-year-old former chair of the LDP General Council undergoes treatment after revealing an esophageal cancer diagnosis in 2019. He returned to work the following November but has been absent from faction meetings since May.

       "Being afflicted with a disease, I am losing my physical and mental power, and am in a condition in which I cannot confidently work for the people," Takeshita said in a statement.

       Takeshita holds a seat in the No. 2 district of Shimane Prefecture in western Japan. The statement was read by Tokuyasu Itohara, secretary general of the LDP's local chapter, as Takeshita is unable to speak due to his condition, according to Itohara.

       Takeshita started his career as a reporter at Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, and became a secretary of his elder brother, former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, in 1985.

       Takeshita was elected seven times to the Shimane seat previously held by his brother, the first time in the 2000 lower house election. He has held key posts in the government and the party, including the reconstruction minister position as well as the LDP's Diet affairs chief.

       Members of his faction include Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Taimei Yamaguchi, the LDP's election strategy chief.

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0