TOKYO - Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election is likely to be a three-way battle, with the winner almost certain to become the country's next prime minister, as voting by rank-and-file members closed on Friday. Among five candidates, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi and farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi are locked in a close race to succeed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as LDP president in Saturday's vote. In the first round, the LDP's 295 parliament members will cast one vote each, while another 295 votes will be allocated based on the choices of rank-and-file members. The new LDP head is poised to become Japan's next prime minister, as the coalition with its junior partner, the Komeito party, remains the largest force in parliament and the opposition lacks coherence. Under his leadership, the coalition also lost its majority in the lower house election in October 2024.