Japan’s governing party is holding its leadership election that will determine the nation’s new prime minister. The winner of Friday's vote by the Liberal Democratic Party is assured of being chosen prime minister in a parliamentary vote next week because the governing coalition controls both houses. No one won a majority in the first round of voting, forcing a runoff among former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has been ranked No. 1 in media surveys, and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative. If Takaichi wins, she would become Japan’s first female prime minister. A record nine lawmakers, including two women, vied for the job, with backroom dealing among party heavyweights making the outcome hard to predict.
