Ishiba Moves Closer To Backing Kono's Leadership Bid

Yomiuri reports that former Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba will resign from running in LDP leadership race and is expected to announce his decision at a meeting of his faction tomorrow. The newspaper cited people close to Ishiba as noting that he will back Taro Kono.

• The recent opinion polls showed that Ishiba was the second most popular candidate for LDP leader and Prime Minister, trailing only Kono.
• The news that Ishiba won't be throwing his hat in the ring comes as no surprise, as a number of source report circulated over the last week or so suggested as much.
• Asahi reported that Kono visited Ishiba in his office yesterday to ask for support. Kono left after around 20 minutes, while Ishiba relayed that he did not give a definite answer.
• Meanwhile, Yomiuri reported that the LDP faction led by Finance Minister Taro Aso remains split on whether to back Kono, although he is a member. Some members of the Aso faction are reportedly inclined to support Kishida's bid.