FOCUS: Reeling Kishida to face LDP leadership fight as election looms

After Japan's 150-day ordinary Diet session wrapped up with the long-running scandal over slush funds still dogging the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attention now shifts to the party's presidential race in September which sees Prime Minister Fumio Kishida facing the real possibility of a leadership challenge.With Kishida clearly diminished due to his inability to unite his party behind reforms to political finance rules, some senior LDP lawmakers have begun to express their willingness to replace him. If that happens, his successor will become the country's prime minister, at least unti…READ FULL ARTICLE