Aso tells Nakagawa to stay, despite behavior at G-7

Tuesday 17th February, 05:43 AM JST

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bakabaka at 09:27 AM JST - 17th February

when will non-japanese reporters learn that you are not supposed to report things such as these?
lazyman0909 at 09:36 AM JST - 17th February

I am sure that his being drunk will not have any effect on his performance. It isn't like Japan ever takes the lead in these economic meetings.
Potsu at 09:38 AM JST - 17th February

Wow ! What a country...you can take that trashy side of your culture outside of Japan and still NOT get sacked.
Stonefish at 09:40 AM JST - 17th February

Meanwhile the Japanese economy is going down the gurgler taking other countries with it, jobs are drying up and evaporating.

The fact that there is debate about whether the finance minister is drunk or not - in these critical times - says it all. If the finance minister cannot perform his role without people questioning his sobriety, then he should step aside.

Somebody show some leadership around here please!
Altria at 09:50 AM JST - 17th February

Nakagawa was hammered. I've seen more coherent salarymen at 11pm in Shinbashi.

I liked the Communist Party guy on the TV news last night: "I worked as a doctor for 10 years and I've never seen anyone acting like that after taking cold medicine. Seen plenty of drunk people like that though."
JackDorff at 09:56 AM JST - 17th February

Last night Asahi TV News showed an old clip of Nakagawa liquored up at a press conference with former PM Abe. The look on Abe`s face was priceless.
Nakagawa has a problem which he appears to have done nothing to sort out. Perhaps he could therefore be granted a lot of time to address his problems. How to grant the free time? Kick him off the tax-payer funded gravy train.
tkoind2 at 09:57 AM JST - 17th February

What I dispise most about Aso is that it is so clear that this childish man has achieved his goal of becoming PM and could care less about what he does or what the public needs or thinks. He's smiling his way to September when he will be tossed out on is incompentent behind. So of course he is going to keep his buddies around.

Nakagawa is a pathetic display to the world of just how clueless Japan's current government is. And should be a clue to Japanese people just how on their own they are.

These morons in office do not care about you. They are not worried about your unemployed family members. They don't care that things are hard for working people. They don't feel or understand your anxieties and fears for the future.

They are a bunch of priviledged class twits, like a collection of drunken frat boys, enjoying their time in their respective titles. When they are done they will go on to brag about how in 2001 I was X minister etc...

They are there to line their pockets and the resumes and that is it.

It is shameful. Aso sucks just as every foreigner I know warned he would be. He is now and has always been a useless upperclass twit. And he will accomplish nothing while in office except for buring very valuable time he should be spending trying to reverse the decline of Japan.

But as much as I blame Aso and his LDP collection of incompetents. I blame you, the Japanese public for doing nothing about it. Why are you not out in the streets demanding change? Why are you not writing letters by the millions demanding an election? Why are you just sitting there waiting for these guys to do nothing?!?! Shame on Japan's people for not taking a more active voice in protecting your very own future.
majimeaussie at 09:59 AM JST - 17th February

He could at least keep his story straight. It seems he told Aso it was sleeping pills not cold medicine.... Or is this just another Aso gaff?
Betting at 10:46 AM JST - 17th February

The only reason Aso could keep Nakagawa around for is that he needs allies. If he loses Nakagawa, who would want to join the Aso circus and been seen as a friend of Aso? Their long term future would be ruined. So he keeps Nakagawa.
Statistician at 11:16 AM JST - 17th February

Well, whether it was booze or "cough medicine" you have to ask yourself if you want someone intoxicated in charge of the Japanese exonomy at the moment. Or someone sober?

Also if it was booze, do you want someone who casually tells lies to in charge of money?
presto345 at 01:06 PM JST - 17th February

Of course it was booze and he is out.
Mz at 02:27 PM JST - 17th February

He's just quit...
Sarge at 04:53 PM JST - 17th February

tkoind2 - Daaaayum!
Sarge at 10:11 PM JST - 17th February

TokyoHus: He was inebriated mate. Watch the video."

I watched several videos. He was exhausted and inebriated, probably due more to the alcohol and other drugs in the cold medicine than the alcohol in the wine. But he showed poor judgement in drinking ANY wine at the time. But he wasn't rip-roaring drunk, or he'd have been slapping the Bank of Japan Governor on the back and telling jokes.
Nessie at 07:50 PM JST - 18th February

Aso tells Nakagawa to stay

His eexact words were "Don't bother coming back."