| Masaaki Shirakawa Japanese: 白川 方明 | |
| Office: | 30th Governor of the Bank of Japan |
| Primeminister: | Yasuo Fukuda Taro Aso Yukio Hatoyama Naoto Kan Yoshihiko Noda Shinzo Abe |
| Deputy: | Hirohide Yamaguchi Kiyohiko Nishimura |
| Term Start: | April 9, 2008 |
| Term End: | March 19, 2013 |
| Predecessor: | Toshihiko Fukui |
| Successor: | Haruhiko Kuroda |
| Office2: | Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan |
| Primeminister2: | Yasuo Fukuda |
| Term Start2: | March 20, 2008 |
| Term End2: | April 9, 2008 |
| Predecessor2: | Toshirō Mutō Kazumasa Iwata |
| Successor2: | Kiyohiko Nishimura |
| Birth Date: | 27 September 1949 |
| Alma Mater: | University of Tokyo University of Chicago |
| Signature: | Masaaki Shirakawa (白川 方明) Signature 2012.png |
is a Japanese economist and the 30th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), and professor at Aoyama Gakuin University. He is also a Director and Vice-Chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).[1]
Shirakawa was born in Fukuoka.[2] and he graduated from high school in Kokura.
In 1972, he was awarded a B.A. degree at the University of Tokyo. In 1977, he earned an M.A. in Economics at the University of Chicago.[3]
Shirakawa joined the Bank of Japan in 1972. His varied assignments at the bank included a period as General Manager at the Ōita branch. For a time, he was General Manager for the Americas at the bank's office in New York City.[3]
Shirakawa joined the faculty of the graduate school of public policy at Kyoto University in 2006. He returned to BOJ in 2008.[3]
His nomination to be Governor of the Bank was approved on April 9, 2008. Masaaki ranks 6th on the world's most powerful by Newsweek along with economic triumvirs Ben Bernanke (4th) and Jean-Claude Trichet (5th).
Shirakawa's mandate is "to respond to changes in circumstances in a flexible and timely manner" in a way which can contribute to the sustainable growth and development of Japan.[4] In other words, this means that the role of the head of the BOJ is to effect price stability in Japan and to ensure stability of the financial system.
In 2011 he was included in the 50 Most Influential ranking of Bloomberg Markets Magazine. He is a member in the Group of Thirty.
In 2013 he accepted a professor post at Aoyama Gakuin University.[5]
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Masaaki Shirakawa, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 10+ works in 20+ publications in 3 languages and 110+ library holdings.[6]