Does Shoichi Nakagawa have a drinking problem?

After Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa gave a bizarre drunken press conference at the G7 meeting in Rome a few days ago, ATV searched through its archives and dug up some older footage that may also be examples of a drinking problem:

The first part of the clip shows Nakagawa walking with a weird stagger in 2006: could it be a sign that he was actually drunk at the time?

Second, we are shown a clip of him speaking at an abductee-related event last year. Nakagawa, who was supposed to chair the event, showed up late with his shirt collar messed up. When he starts speaking, he is nearly as drunk looking as he was at the G7 press conference.

According to anonymous sources interviewed by ATV, such drunkenness is actually pretty common for Nakagawa.

The government is still sticking to the cold medicine story, but Nakagawa did visit Aso last night to apologize for the trouble he has caused.

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More info on Nakagawa’s drinking problem can be found at Observing Japan, Shisaku, and Asia Exile.

Update: He’s finished.

Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa announced Tuesday that he will resign to take responsibility for his abnormal behavior at a news conference following a recent meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers and central bank governors in Rome in which he appeared drunk.

[hat tip to Ponta]

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