End of an Abe era for Japan
安倍辞职引发政界动荡

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's resignation opened the field for what may be a fierce battle among LDP executives to become his successor.
日本首相安倍晋三的辞职可能引发自民党高官之间对继任者之位的激烈角逐。

Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's history, announced on Friday that he intended to step down after eight years in office, citing health reasons, as the country struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe economic downturn and geopolitical disputes with such neighbors as China, Russia and South Korea.
安倍8月28日宣布，因为健康原因他将辞去首相一职。安倍在位八年，是日本史上任职时间最长的首相。日本目前正疲于应对新冠肺炎疫情、严重经济衰退、以及与中国、俄罗斯、韩国等邻国的地缘政治纠纷。

"The most important thing in politics is results," Abe said at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday. "It is gut-wrenching to have to leave my job before accomplishing my goals."
当日安倍在东京的一个新闻发布会上表示：“在政治上，结果是最重要的。我志向未酬就放弃职务如断肠之痛。”

"We are finalizing plans for selecting a new leader and I hope that decision can be made as soon as possible," Abe said, declining to name a favorite candidate but saying the leading ones were all "promising".
他说：“我们正在敲定方案以选出新的领导人，我希望这一决定能尽快做出。”安倍没有透露意向的接班人，只是表示，领先的几位候选人都“有希望”。

Front-runners in the race include LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida and former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, both of whom indicated their desire to run shortly after Abe announced his intent to step down.
热门人选中包括自民党政务调查会长岸田文雄和前防卫大臣石破茂，两人在安倍宣布辞职意向不久后均表达了参选自民党新总裁的意愿。

On Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a close aide to Abe, also joined the race.
8月30日，安倍的亲密助手之一、内阁官房长官菅义伟也宣布参选。

Local media reported that the LDP will hold the election around Sept 15.
据日本媒体报道，自民党将在9月15日前后举行党首选举。