This combo of pictures from online game provider Liveware shows video game images on a mobile phone titled "Drowsy¹ presser by drugged minister" which mocs the Rome press conference held after the G-7 talks on February 14, in which Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa appeared drunk and slurred³ his speech.

Japanese who watched footage of their former finance minister slur² 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 mischievous⁴ Internet game industry.

In the new phone game called "Drowsy Presser by Drugged Minister" players can wake a likeness⁵ of Nakagawa as he fields questions at a press conference, or allow him to sneak⁶ 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 yen⁷ (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 emulate⁸ the Iraqi journalist who hurled⁹ his shoes at then US president George W. Bush in protest against his administration's Iraqi policy.

日本前财务大臣在不久前七国集团会议的一个新闻发布会上昏昏欲睡、语无伦次，看过他这段录像的日本人现在可以在一款新的手机游戏中让他保持清醒了。

于上周辞职的日本前财务大臣中川昭一已成为以搞怪而著称的日本网络游戏业的“新宠”。中川辩解称自己在罗马出席会议时的昏睡状态源于咳嗽药以及时差，而非醉酒。

在这款名为“别让大臣睡着” 的最新手机游戏中，玩家可以让游戏主角“中川”在新闻发布会上回答记者提问时处于清醒状态，也可以让他打个盹，养足精神再回答提问。

如果“中川”回答了记者的提问，他的支持率就会上升，玩家的得分也会相应增加；但一旦他在回答提问时睡着了，就会从椅子上摔下来，游戏就此结束。

这款游戏由LiveWare公司推出，用户只要拥有一部可上网的手机，花费52日元（合55美分）即可下载。目前日本有三家运营商提供这种能上网的手机。

LiveWare公司经理Evan Kojima说：“我们一直想推出一款新品种、新主题的游戏，正当我们冥思苦想时，发生了这一十分轰动的新闻事件。”

英国一家网络公司于去年12月推出了一款鞋砸布什的游戏，这款游戏是根据伊拉克记者用鞋砸时任总统布什，以抗议其对伊政策的事件开发出来的。

Vocabulary:

slur:含糊地发音；口齿含糊