TOKYO -- A former Japanese defense minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next foreign minister, part of an unexpected reshuffle in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership following Sunday's general election.
The switch comes after Akira Amari became the LDP's first secretary-general -- essentially the party's No. 2 post -- to lose their single-seat district. Amari has offered his resignation to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
