TOKYO — A former Japanese finance minister who stepped down after appearing to be drunk at an overseas news conference was found dead in his home today, police said.
The cause of Shoichi Nakagawa’s death was under investigation, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo police said
The 56-year-old Nakagawa caused an uproar when he appeared to be drunk at a news conference during a meeting of Group of Seven financial leaders in Rome in February.
It was widely seen as a major embarrassment for the Japanese government as international news programs repeatedly played video footage of Nakagawa slurring his speech and looking sleepy.
He resigned as finance minister shortly afterward, then lost his seat in parliament in the Aug. 30 nationwide elections.
He said he had taken cold medicine.
