Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda can become Bank of Japan governor without his nation losing its grip on the Manila-based organization, according to the head of the ADB’s think tank.
“Japan and the U.S. are still the largest shareholders and the U.S. has no intention to assume the presidency of the ADB,” Masahiro Kawai, dean of the Tokyo-based Asian Development Bank Institute, said in an interview Monday. He said China lacks sufficient support to grab the role and Japan can retain its hold.
Kuroda is the leading candidate to replace BOJ Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa when he exits in April, according to Masaaki Kanno, chief economist at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo.
The possible effect on Japan’s sway at the ADB was raised by lawmaker Yoshimi Watanabe, the head of the minority Your Party, who indicated in a Jan. 16 interview that Kuroda should complete his five-year ADB term through 2016 to prevent China taking the role..
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