Japan's Takaichi picks ex-premier Aso as party vice president

Sanae Takaichi, who is expected to become Japan's next prime minister, chose former premier and party heavyweight Taro Aso on Tuesday as vice president of her ruling party, a move some analysts saw as a restraining force against big fiscal spending. Takaichi also chose former finance minister Shunichi Suzuki as secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a job that wields huge influence in party affairs, in a line-up of key party posts announced on Tuesday. The announcements came after the ruling party's pick of fiscal dove Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become Japan's first female prime minister. Japan's share prices surged and the yen slumped this week on market expectations Takaichi will deploy...