Tokyo hopes voters will hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China

TOKYO/BEIJING — China may rethink its escalating pressure campaign on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi if she delivers a resounding victory in a Feb 8 snap election, say current and former Japanese officials and political analysts.Weeks after taking office last year, Takaichi touched off the biggest diplomatic dispute with Beijing in over a decade, by publicly outlining how Tokyo might...