Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba has given up on running in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming leadership race and is leaning toward backing vaccination minister Taro Kono instead, people familiar with his decision said Tuesday.Ishiba, the No. 2 pick to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in opinion polls after Kono, had been considering putting his name forward for the Sept. 29 vote that will effectively determine the country's new leader, but some allies saw his chances of winning as slim and urged him to sit it out.The LDP presidential election now a…READ FULL ARTICLE
