Ishiba, Takaichi to face off in Japan ruling party vote for next PM

A seasoned defense geek and a nationalist who would be Japan's first woman prime minister will go head-to-head in the final round of a ruling party leadership vote on Friday, the official count showed.

Lawmakers and party members will today choose between former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba and hawkish Sanae Takaichi, a rare prominent woman in Japanese politics, as the country's next prime minister.

AFP