Japanese Foreign Minister resigns after purportedly appearing drunk at briefing with reporters.
Japanese Foreign Minister resigns after purportedly appearing drunk at briefing with reporters.
During a G-7 meeting in Rome this weekend, Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa — the man in charge of the world’s 2nd largest economy — attended a press conference in what appeared to be a drunken state. During the event, “Mr Nakagawa slurred, yawned, lost his train of thought and appeared to nod off during a reporter’s question. At one point, he called the G7 ‘the G20’ and could not recall Japan’s present rate of interest.” Nakgawa blamed a head cold: “I took a larger-than-usual portion of cold medicine,” he said. Last night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said she wasn’t buying it. “I don’t speak Japanese, but I do speak hammered,” she said. “And that dude was hammered.” Watch it:
Today, Nakagawa resigned his position. “I decided it would be better for the country if I quit,” he said. “I apologize for causing a commotion through not taking enough care of my health.” Japan is currently undergoing its worst economic crisis since World War II.
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“Mr Nakagawa slurred, yawned, lost his train of thought and appeared to nod off during a reporter’s question
– - Yet amazingly was far more lucid than George Bush’s press conferences.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:42 am“Japanese Foreign Minister resigns after purportedly appearing drunk at briefing with reporters.”
– - ???????? (I’m stepping down to spend more time with my sake.)
February 17th, 2009 at 10:45 amif being drunk was a precursor to getting fired….
then Boehner should have resigned years ago.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:45 am????????
– - Oh well, translation no workee.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:46 am…just like Dickhead Cheney should have done after he drunkenly shot his friend in the face!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:46 amrastaman: Let’s begin counting the times that Bonehead Boehner is schnockered.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:47 amJapanese Foreign Minister resigns after purportedly appearing drunk at briefing with reporters.
A move any self respecting man would make.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:49 amgeorge should have done the same after any one of many opportunities.
Question: Was this man more or less drunk that Bush at the Beijing Olympics? Because “our” prez was hammered times two.
PEACE
February 17th, 2009 at 10:51 amIf I may – “Sir, I knew Boris Yeltsin, and you are no Boris Yeltsin.”
February 17th, 2009 at 10:53 amwhat was it rachel said last night? something like,
“i don’t know japanese, but i do know hammered”!
it was hilarious!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:59 amoh… and again… read the copy first, katy…
heh…
February 17th, 2009 at 11:01 amSo the guy was drunk! So what? Dubya was drunk through eight years of his presidency and that worked out fine…
oh wait…
never mind.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:01 ambut, personal experience, some cold/allergy medicine can do a job also!
February 17th, 2009 at 11:02 amHow come dur chimpfurher wasn’t forced to resign after any of the many times he was obviously drunk on the job?
February 17th, 2009 at 11:07 amThe headline says “Foreign Minister,” but the man in question was, as the article says in its first sentence, the Finance Minister.
And I’d get drunk, too, if I had to be in charge of Japan’s economy right now.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:11 amAsan stoicism has failed us. Quick! Sell your Toyota! I wonder if it was sake or scotch?
February 17th, 2009 at 11:12 amJust to play devil’s advocate here, Benadryl (Diphenhydramine), an anti-allergy med sold OTC, can cause drunkenness like state of mind. Drixoril, a 12 hour release of brompheniramine, can give you an induced state of “stonedness” for half a day.
Trust me, I took Drixoril (the pharmacist’s favorite) once, and was more stoned then my experimental stage in college.
So it is possible that the prime minister took too much cold medicine.
Although, if that was true, he shouldn’t have resigned.
That being said, he did the honorable thing if he was drunk.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:14 amUnlike certain vice presidents who shoot a friend in the face during a “one beer” hunting gala. Who then cowardly goes home for 24 hours before reporting the incident (long enough time to sober up).
katy Says:
what was it rachel said last night? something like,
“i don’t know japanese, but i do know hammered
It’s like when James Brown expounded, “I don’t know karate, but I KNOW ca-razy!!!”
February 17th, 2009 at 11:14 amI agree, katy. I think his story is plausible.
Without knowing anything more about him — his habits, what his day was like, etc. — I’m willing to accept his explanation. Not that it matters much.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:15 amhivanh Says:
Asan stoicism has failed us. Quick! Sell your Toyota! I wonder if it was sake or scotch?
For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:15 amIs he available to be CEO of a US Fortune 500 company?
February 17th, 2009 at 11:20 amIrish Finance Minister is same situation: “So?”
February 17th, 2009 at 11:21 amAnother Joe Says:
How come dur chimpfurher wasn’t forced to resign after any of the many times he was obviously drunk on the job?
____________
Good Lord, man… think of the consequences…
Can you say, “President Dick Cheney”???
February 17th, 2009 at 11:29 amNot without barfing.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:33 amralph the wonder llama Says:
I agree, katy. I think his story is plausible.
Without knowing anything more about him — his habits, what his day was like, etc. — I’m willing to accept his explanation. Not that it matters much.
___________
You want a brilliant, tour de force excuse?
When confronted w/ undeniable proof that he had indeed purchased steroids, baseball player Miguel Tejada’s mea culpa was “Yeah, I bought them, but I was so ashamed I NEVER USED THEM. I just threw them away…”
***Sound of wild applause***
The Feds involved in the case said they have no way of knowing otherwise.
Now, Miguel is in trouble for perjury and he has copped to BUYING them… but, according to him, he NEVER USED them… it’s not unlike Clinton’s infamous “but I didn’t inhale…”
The day that little tid bit hit the press, you could just hear MLB players everywhere thinking… “Damn… why didn’t I think of that?”
So what will happen when the next bunch of steroids users are revealed, which s/b soon… will they all just look into the camera and repeat, “What Miguel said… I bought ‘em but I never used ‘em”.
Sorry, guys… Miggy got there first.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:36 amHoodathunk Says:
Not without barfing.
_________
Funny… in my case, the physical reaction occurred at the OTHER end of the body…
February 17th, 2009 at 11:37 amConsidering the economic situation in Japan… perhaps this wasn’t an accident after all.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:39 amThe good news for this guy is that only a century ago he would now have a date with his short sword to spill his guts. Today, he probably has a date with his keyboard to metaphorically spill his guts.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:45 amThe Republic of Stupidity Says:
… “Yeah, I bought them, but I was so ashamed I NEVER USED THEM. I just threw them away…”
wasn’t it ted haggard who tried that one, about his meth?
you know, the preacher who was “cured” of teh gay?
February 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pmHEADLINES THAT SHOULD HAVE APPEARED, BUT NEVER DID:
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it failed to take any action against a very likely catastrophic attack…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it was revealed that it it had broken the law by spying on the American public…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it was revealed that Iraq was not a threat to the US and had no WMDs…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it exposed one of its own secret agents working on WMD issues just to prevent her and her husband from finding fault with the reasons provided for the Iraq invasion….
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it left thousands of civilians to suffer and die in New Orleans…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it broke the law in not only permitting but promoting kidnapping and torture…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after it denied troops adequate equipment and lost 23–150 billion dollars in Iraq…
The entire Bush Administration resigned after its public health policies sickened thousands and killed hundreds...
The entire Bush Administration resigned after its policies destroyed the US banking system and triggered a global recession….
The entire MSM reigned when it failed to do investigate and report the facts…
February 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pmI think that we should be concerned that other countries are having failing economies, we trade food and services with them. It’s only going to make our economy worse. Japan has one of the largest populations in the world, and Asia is home to 2/3 of the world’s poor. The Borgen Project (www.borgenproject.org) believes that we should be helping out the world’s poor. In doing so we are making ourselves a stronger and safer nation. “A study conducted by the U.S.
February 17th, 2009 at 12:56 pmestimated that if the World Food Summits goal of reducing hunger by half is met; it will lower the cost of peacekeeping and humanitarian operations by $2.5 billion per year (www.borgenproject.org)”. The annual shortfall of eliminating global hunger was $30 billion, which is a small fraction of the $540 billion we spent on the U.S. defense budget.
Best thing to do was quit , resbonsibility always matters, he made a mistake and he knows he must go, tell the other who doesnt know anything about responsibility such as A-rod.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pmWe’re not doing that great here at home Rachel! Stop comparing the situation in Japan to ours because our economy is in dire straits. I don’t care if the guy was drunk or stoned.
I don’t speak japanese and I don’t speak hammered! And I don’t buy your arrogance!
February 17th, 2009 at 2:34 pmI’ve lived in Japan. That was hardly the first time Nakagawa was drunk at a political meeting, albeit the previous ones were domestic venues in Japan.
February 17th, 2009 at 7:21 pmNakagawa’s father, who also served as Finance Minister nearly 30 years ago, committed suicide in a hotel room. The popular suicide method for Japanese politicians nowadays is to hang themselves, usually in a hotel room, after drinking a bottle of liquor. As recently as the summer of 2007, the scandal-laden Minister of Agriculture did just that.
Keltoi at Night Says:
February 17th, 2009 at 9:33 pmThe good news for this guy is that only a century ago he would now have a date with his short sword to spill his guts. Today, he probably has a date with his keyboard to metaphorically spill his guts.