Japan's finance minister to step aside

TOKYO, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday he would resign over his odd behavior during a meeting of the Group of Seven finance ministers in Rome.

Nakagawa said he would leave his post after the 2009 budget and related bills clear the Diet, Japan's legislative body, which is expected in March or April, the Kyodo News reported.

During a news conference he said he decided to resign because he feared his presence as finance minister and state minister for financial services would adversely affect lawmakers' deliberations on the budget, the Mainichi Daily News said.

Opposition parties and other critics accused Nakagawa, an ally of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, of displaying unusual behavior during a G7 news conference in Rome last weekend, alleging he was drunk. During the conference Nakagawa slurred his words and sometimes closed his eyes, which he attributed to taking a strong cold medicine.

"My doctor told me I'm suffering from a cold and fatigue," Nakagawa said during the news conference in Tokyo. "I apologized for having caused a great deal of trouble to the prime minister and other people concerned by not taking good enough care of my health."

Aso appointed Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Kaoru Yosano as Nakagawa's successor for both positions, government officials said.