Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet resigned, clearing the way for his successor to take over after parliamentary confirmation later today.<br />'' <br />''Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, announced last month that he was stepping down because of health problems.<br />'' <br />''Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, was chosen as the new head of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, virtually guaranteeing his election as prime minister in a parliamentary vote Wednesday because of the party's majority.<br />'' <br />''Suga, has promised to serve the interests of ordinary people and rural communities.<br />'' <br />''He has said he will pursue Abe's unfinished policies, and that his top priorities will be fighting the coronavirus and turning around an economy battered by the pandemic.<br />'' <br />''Suga said he will appoint "reform-minded, hard-working people" to the new Cabinet, to be launched later today.<br />