The yen weakened sharply to the mid-146 range versus the U.S. dollar Friday in Tokyo, as investors speculated that economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, an advocate of monetary easing, will win Japan’s ruling party election. The yen hit around a one-month low against the dollar after the Liberal Democratic Party election went to a runoff between Takaichi and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, with Takaichi securing the most votes among the nine candidates. Stocks ended sharply higher as exporters were lifted by a weaker yen. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average climbed 903.93 points, o…