Japan's Ex-finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa Found Dead

Shoichi Nakagawa, a close ally of then prime minister Taro Aso, appeared drunk, slurring his speech at a news conference in February after the Group of Seven talks in Rome amid the global economic crisis. He later said he had sipped some wine with lunch before the press conference. but blamed jet lag and cold medicine for drowsiness, causing his "symptoms."

Shoichi had been a power in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) prior to his debacle. While he had made no secret about his fondness for alcohol, he promised to swear off alcohol ahead of the elections, but lost his seat in his constituency in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

A spokesperson for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said, "We were informed that former finance minister Nakagawa has been found dead, but we are still unaware of further details."

Reports from various media outlets said that Shoichi Nakagawa was found dead in a bedroom at his home in Tokyo's residential district of Setagaya. The cause of death was not immediately unknown.