Japan ruling party votes on next prime ministerJapan's ruling party is choosing its new leader and the country's next prime minister in an unusually tight raceTOKYO - Japan's ruling party picks its new leader Wednesday, with a mild-mannered former foreign minister and the Twitter-savvy vaccine chief leading the race to become the country's next prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is going to the polls with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga opting not to stand, ending his tenure as premier after just a year in the role. Whoever wins will be approved as prime minister by parliament within days, and will then contest general elections in which the LDP is expected to retain power. A former defence and foreign minister, he has been considered a likely candidate for the top job for years. His main rival is Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister and LDP policy chief who has pledged more pandemic stimulus if elected.
