In his efforts to reform the scandal-struck Bank of Japan and reformulate its monetary policy, Sakuya Fujiwara, a former journalist now working as a central banker, intends to maintain his "fieldwork" and reflect public opinion.
The resolve of Fujiwara, 61, who last Friday replaced BOJ Senior Deputy Gov. Toshihiko Fukui, a career BOJ banker, sounds fresh enough. But because his appointment was admittedly sudden, he has yet to develop specific ideas for BOJ improvements.
"I am not going to withdraw into my shell," he said in a recent interview with a group of reporters. "Rather than working only in the world of jargon, I want to link the layman's concern for the economy with professional monetary policymaking."