In race to replace Japan's Abe, loyalist Suga emerges as strong contender

Yoshihide Suga, a longtime lieutenant of Japan's Shinzo Abe, has emerged as a strong contender to succeed him as prime minister, an outcome that would extend the fiscal and monetary stimulus that defined Abe's nearly eight years in office. Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, said on Friday he was stepping down due to a worsening of a chronic illness, setting the stage for a leadership election within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). While some other would-be successors have declared their intention to run, the 71-year-old Suga has said he doesn`t want the job. But such comments have been called into question by an aggressive media push in recent days...