Japanese minister resigns after accusations

Per The International Herald Tribune, Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa resigned from his position on Tuesday, after "facing ridicule and criticism for slurring and yawning his way through a news conference at the weekend Group of 7 meeting in Rome."

The article added that it was a "major setback for Prime Minister Taro Aso," whose approval rating has plummeted to 9.7 percent amidst Japan's worsening recession.

Four Twitter users in Japan tweeted about these developments, all via iPhones which listed their exact locations.

@feffrey (Akasaka, Japan): Nakagawa is off to the hospital to check out why he had such a strange reaction to the "medicine". http://is.gd/jMoM The answer: it was wine


@feffrey (Akasaka, Japan): And Nakagawa resigns. No alcohol problem mentioned but at least Japan no longer has a drunk finance minister. http://is.gd/jN5p


@toshisato (Shibuya, Japan): I believe Mr. Nakagawa, Finance Minister of Japan, WAS drunk during the conference http://tinyurl.com/an9yyw


@jlist (Kitakaruizawa, Japan): Okay, Aso-san has a lower rating than Bush had? Um, what? http://tinyurl.com/aotlk4



@havill (Shinyurigaoka, Japan): JP needs a new PM fast. Aso makes Bush look good. If it must be the LDP, I hope it's Koike.

Japanese minister resigns after accusations