WASHINGTON (Kyodo) No toasts were raised, no flowers were handed out. Only the challenge of hard work awaited Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa as he made his debut at a meeting of financial leaders from the Group of Seven major economies over the weekend in Washington.
It was just two days after he took the governorship of the BOJ that he joined the community of financial chiefs Friday on the frontline in the battle against the global financial crisis following the meltdown of the U.S. subprime mortgage sector.
Shirakawa, 58, a former BOJ executive director who would have otherwise taught monetary policy at a university, became BOJ deputy chief last month and was promoted to the post of governor after the Diet rejected two former vice finance ministers due to objection from opposition parties.