Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his resignation Wednesday at a press conference held at his office, less than a month after he reshuffled the Cabinet following a crushing defeat in parliamentary election.

Abe said that he quitted the post to have the war against terror continued, since as long as he is premier, the opposition leader would not agree to talk. He also said that he had difficulty in pushing through the policies and gathering public support.

File photo taken on July 30, 2007 shows Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered his resignation on Sept. 12 at a press conference held at his office, less than a month after he reshuffled the Cabinet following a crushing defeat in parliamentary election.(Xinhua Photo)

Abe quitted his post as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and effectively the post of prime minister.

However, Abe will continue act as premier until the ruling party selects a new leader "in at least a month," Kyodo News quoted a LDP official as saying.

Abe, who took office on Sept. 26 last year, has been plagued by a series of scandals involving his Cabinet ministers, pension recording errors, as well as a crushing defeat in July's upper house election which cost the LDP's decades-long dominance in the chamber.

On Aug. 27, Abe reshuffled the Cabinet and replaced the members with veteran politicians to regain public trust. However, in less than a week, the new Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Takehiko Endo resigned over a scandal involving a farmers' group that he heads. The internal affairs minister Hiroya Masuda admitted Saturday an error in his own political fund report.

Abe hinted at resignation at a press conference after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum Sunday in Sydney, saying that "I have no intention of clinging to my duties" as prime minister if he cannot have the parliament agree the extension of the refueling mission for U.S.-led anti-terrorism operations.  

Editor: Donald