Japanese who watched footage of their former finance minister slur his words and appear to nod off at a Group of Seven press conference can now try to keep him awake in a new cell phone game. Shoichi Nakagawa - who resigned last week blaming cough medicine and jet lag rather than alcohol for his drowsy performance in Rome - has become the latest target of Japan's mischievous Internet game industry.
In the new phone game called "Drowsy Presser by Drugged Minister" players can wake a likeness of Nakagawa as he fields questions at a press conference, or allow him to sneak in short naps to build up his energy levels. Players gain points if they boost Nakagawa's "support rating" by having him answer journalists' questions, but it's game over if the minister sleeps while he is asked a question, and the game ends with him falling off his chair.
The game from LiveWare Inc can be downloaded for 52 yen (55 US cents) on to the Internet-enabled handsets of three major Japanese carriers. "We were seeking to produce a new type of game, featuring news topics," said Evan Kojima, a manager at LiveWare Inc.
"The news of the press conference emerged with a great impact when we were trying to come up with an idea." In December, a British Internet firm launched a game where players could emulate the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at then US president George W. Bush in protest against his administration's Iraqi policy.