Japan ex-minister found dead at home

TOKYO: Former Japanese finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who resigned his key post after being forced to deny he was drunk at a G7 news conference in February, has died, Tokyo police said yesterday.

Authorities were trying to determine the cause of the 56-year-old, ex-lawmaker's death, who was found dead in a bedroom in his house in Tokyo, police said. No external injuries were found on his body and a will has not been found, police said.

The furor surrounding Nakagawa's resignation was a major embarrassment to ex-Prime Minister Taro Aso, whose Liberal Democratic Party was ousted in an Aug. 30 election.