The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan is preparing for a special election in October to replace outgoing Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who announced his resignation after less than a year in office on Sunday. Among the top contenders to replace him are Ishibia’s stalwart ally, farm minister Koizumi Shinjiro, and one of his toughest critics, former economic minister Takaichi Sanae. -- snip -- Takaichi Sanae, 64, would become the first female prime minister of Japan if she gets the nod. She narrowly lost the leadership election to Ishiba last year in a runoff vote. Takaichi, formerly minister for economic...