Japan ruling party factions to allow free vote in leadership election

Nearly all major factions in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party plan to allow members to vote for whoever they prefer in the party's upcoming leadership election, as candidates on Wednesday stepped up preparations for the race to choose Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's successor.With six of the LDP's seven major factions essentially allowing a free vote, the Sept. 29 ballot will be different from typical elections to choose party leaders, who won or lost on the support of faction bosses.Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the public's No. 2 pick for next prime minister in opinion po…READ FULL ARTICLE