Japan's ruling party holds leadership vote to replace PM Ishiba

Japan's ruling party begins voting to choose its fifth leader in as many years, with the eventual winner almost certain to be approved by parliament as prime minister. The frontrunners for the Liberal Democratic Party's top seat are Sanae Takaichi, a China hawk who would be Japan's first woman premier, and the youthful but potentially out-of-his-depth Shinjiro Koizumi. IMAGES