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.