Japanese finance minister found dead

A former Japanese finance minister who stepped down after appearing to be drunk at an overseas news conference was found dead in his home, police said today.

Shoichi Nakagawa was lying face down in bed when his wife found him in their Tokyo home, a police spokesman said.

Investigators have ruled out foul play because the room was undisturbed, and they were downplaying the likelihood of suicide.

The spokesman said determining a cause of death would "take some time," adding that an autopsy will be conducted.

Mr Nakagawa, 56, caused uproar when he appeared to be intoxicated at a news conference during a meeting of G7 financial leaders in February.