Former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, whose political career went downhill after he appeared to be drunk at a news conference in Rome in February, was found dead Oct. 4 at his home in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, police said.

Former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa, who was found dead Oct. 4 at his home, is shown Aug. 30 with a portrait of his late father, influential politician Ichiro Nakagawa. KYODO PHOTO

Nakagawa, 56, wearing a polo shirt and shorts, was lying face down on a bed on the second floor without any apparent external wounds, the police said. His wife found the body and called for an ambulance at around 8:30 a.m.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, no farewell note was discovered in the home and the possibility of a suicide or crime was low. There were no signs that the room was disturbed, officers said.

There were traces of vomit on the bed, and packs of what appeared to be sleeping tablets were on a table and in its drawer, the police said.

An administrative autopsy indicated Nakagawa may have died of a circulatory disease he had been suffering from, police sources said, adding that traces of alcohol were found in his body.

A senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker said the coroner did not observe any evidence of suicide but decided to perform an autopsy because the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

Nakagawa was among the high-profile Liberal Democratic Party members who lost their seats in the Aug. 30 Lower House election.

First elected in December 1983, he had served eight terms in the Diet. He was appointed finance minister and financial services minister in September 2008 in the administration of Prime Minister Taro Aso.