UPDATE BELOW!

Shinzo Abe – who technically remains prime minister until the election of his successor – has gone to hospital “because he feels unwell”, according to the chief cabinet secretary, Kaoru Yosano. At this point, we are told, there is no question of his duties being taken over by a deputy (this would be Yosano himself), as they were, for example, after ex-PM Keizo Obuchi’s fatal stroke in 2000.

The most striking lines in the brief report on Kyodo News are:

According to sources close to the prime minister, Abe has recently been suffering from a weak stomach, and porridge has been a source of nourishment.

During his visit to India and other Asian countries in August, he specially asked for food that was easy to digest, and not the spicy local cuisine, the sources said.

After he returned from his Asian tour, he sometimes received intravenous fluids at the prime minister’s official residence, they said.

It would be easy to read too much into this. Japanese doctors whip out the saline drip at the slightest excuse (stubbed toes, chilblains, tennis elbow etc). And going into hospital – usually in a wheelchair with one of those old biddy rugs folded across the knee – is one of the standard, sympathy-buying responses of politicians and businessmen to imminent criminal investigations and scandals, such as the one allgedly bearing down on Shinzo. (for more on all of this see my news story in today’s paper).

But could this be more serious?