Japan’s Minister of Finance, Shoichi Nakagawa, has blamed a heavy dose of cold medicine for a slurred and baffling performance at the G7 meeting in Rome, where the helmsman of the world’s second biggest economy appeared to be incapably drunk.
Mr Nakagawa claimed to have taken only a few sips of wine – “no more than a glassful” – ahead of the news conference, but he seemed too addled to state correctly the current level of Japanese interest rates.
Upon his return to Japan today the Finance Minister was greeted with immediate calls for his resignation by opposition MPs, who said the affair was an embarrassment to the country, and a shame that sent a “message to the whole world”.
Yukio Hatoyama, Secretary-General of the main opposition Democratic Party, said: “I think he should be fired immediately. He's damaged the national interest.”
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