TOKYO, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - A former Japanese finance minister who was forced to step down after appearing to be drunk at a G7 news conference in February was found dead in his home on Sunday, police said.

Police are investigating the cause of the death of 56-year-old Shoichi Nakagawa, a spokeswoman for the Tokyo police said. His body was found by his wife in the bedroom of their home in the Setagaya district in Tokyo.

Nakagawa caused a political storm after slurring his words and appearing to be drowsy at a news conference during a meeting of the Group of Seven finance ministers in Rome in February.

He claimed that he had been suffering from jet lag and taken too much cold medicine, and although he admitted that "he had been sipping wine during lunch," he brushed aside speculation he was drunk.