Mr. Shirakawa is former governor of the Bank of Japan. He was appointed as
governor in April, 2008 and left the bank in March 2013. He was also vice-chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements
(BIS) since January 2011. Currently, Mr. Shirakawa is a professor at Aoyama-
Gakuin University and also a member of Group of Thirty. He joined Bank of
Japan in 1972. At the Bank, he held key positions, including executive director in
charge of monetary policy. He studied economics at the University of Tokyo (B.A.)
and at the University of Chicago (M.A.). He assumed professorship at the Kyoto
University School of Government from July 2006 to March 2008.