Ishiba announces bid to succeed Kishida as Japan's leader

TOKYO (Reuters) - Shigeru Ishiba, a former defence minister, said on Saturday he would run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership election on Sept 27 that will pick a successor to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kishida will step down in September, ending a three-year term as leader of the world's fourth-largest economy.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Ishiba endorsed the Bank of Japan's policy of gradually raising interest rates, saying the normalisation of ultra-loose monetary policy could push down prices and boost industrial competitiveness.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by William Mallard)