日本警方说，前财务大臣中川昭一(Shoichi Nakagawa)被发现死于东京家中。今年早些时候，由于在一次新闻发布会上表现失态，中川昭一被迫辞职，并在随后失去了国会议员席位。
Former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who resigned from his post earlier this year after an incoherent public appearance and later lost his seat in parliament, was found dead at his home in Tokyo, police said.
东京警察厅一位发言人说，今年56岁的中川昭一周日早上被妻子发现死于家中床上。他身上没有明显的受伤痕迹。
Mr. Nakagawa, 56 years old, was found in his bed by his wife Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency. There was no apparent injury to his body.
该发言人说，目前警方正在对此进行调查，定于周日完成尸检，但调查结果可能要数天之后才能得出。发言人说，由于没有受伤迹象，房间也没有打斗痕迹，警方已经排除了他杀的可能性。他补充说，警方也没有发现遗书。
Police, who are investigating, were set to complete an autopsy Sunday, but results could take several days, the spokesman said. He said police had ruled out foul play because of the lack of injury and lack of disturbance in the room. Police also didn’t find a suicide note, he added.
日本自民党(Liberal Democratic Party)在8月30日的大选中遭受惨痛失利，中川昭一等数位自民党资深政治人士败选。凭藉着大选胜利，日本民主党(Democratic Party of Japan)党魁鸠山由纪夫(Yukio Hatoyama)就任日本新任首相。
Mr. Nakagawa was among several high-profile politicians belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party who were defeated in the Aug. 30 elections that brought a landslide victory to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan.
中川昭一是日本前首相麻生太郎(Taro Aso)的亲信。他此前曾在政府和自民党内担任过经济产业大臣、农业大臣等诸多高级职位。
Mr. Nakagawa, a close associate of former Prime Minister Taro Aso, had held various senior positions in the government and in his party, such as minister of trade and industry, and of agriculture.
今年2月，由于在罗马召开的七大工业国(Group of Seven)一次新闻发布会上表现的醉眼朦胧和语无伦次，中川昭一随后被迫辞去了财政大臣职位。中川昭一否认自己当时的表现是因为醉酒所致，而将其归咎于在飞往罗马的旅程中服用了感冒药和几口红酒带来的混合效果。
He had resigned as finance minister in February after appearing drunk and incoherent during a news conference at a Group of Seven meeting in Rome. Mr. Nakagawa had denied that his behavior was due to drinking and instead attributed it to the combined effect of a few sips of wine and cold medicine he had taken during his flight to Rome.
这一事件的录像和图片在日本国内外被广泛报导，令首相麻生太郎面临尴尬境地。此事还导致了麻生太郎政府民意支持率进一步下滑；由于施政方针缺乏连续性以及麻生太郎自己的过失，麻生太郎政府的支持率本就不断下滑。在8月30日的日本大选中，麻生太郎领导的自民党败选，结束了自1955年以来几乎持续持政的历史。
The incident, reported widely in videos and photos inside and outside of Japan, was an embarrassment to Mr. Aso. It contributed to the decline in popular support for his government, which was already suffering from inconsistent policies and Mr. Aso’s own gaffes. His party’s loss in the Aug. 30 election ended the LDP’s nearly continuous rule of Japan since 1955.
中川昭一曾担任国会议员26年，他在政界被认为是极具才华，但同时又因脾气差而闻名。中川昭一的国会议席此前由他的父亲中川一郎(Ichiro Nakagawa)占据，中川一郎也曾是一名自民党资深议员。中川一郎于1983年去世，警方说他是死于自杀。
Mr. Nakagawa, who in government circles was considered extremely intelligent but also noted for his temper, had served in parliament for 26 years. The seat had previously been held by his father, Ichiro Nakagawa, who was also a senior LDP lawmaker. The senior Mr. Nakagawa died in 1983 in what police said was a suicide.
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