The Japanese finance minister, Shoichi Nakagawa, under fire for an embarrassing performance at a Group of 7 news conference, announced Tuesday that he would resign, International Herald Tribune reported.
Nakagawa, who denied being drunk at the news conference, said he intended to resign after the government's budget is passed by the lower house of the Japanese Parliament.
Earlier, a senior executive of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was quoted as saying Nakagawa should resign before the day was over.
"He should resign by the end of today, taking responsibility for showing disgraceful behavior to the world," the lawmaker was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying.
The resignation came after Nakagawa slurred his speech and yawned during a news conference at a weekend meeting of finance minister from the Group of Seven industrial nations in Rome, leading Japanese media to question his competence.
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