Former Vice Finance Minister and Bank of Yokohama President Tadashi Ogawa died of esophageal cancer on Monday at a Tokyo hospital, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday. He was 77.
A Tokyo native, Ogawa joined the ministry in 1962 and served as vice finance minister from 1996 to 1997 after holding posts such as director general of the Tax Bureau and the National Tax Agency.
The expert on tax issues helped then Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita introduce the consumption tax in April 1989, as one of his secretaries.
He later served as chairman of Japan Tobacco Inc. and president of the Bank of Yokohama, Japan's largest regional bank by asset value. He was also chairman of the Regional Banks Association of Japan.
The Bank of Yokohama plans to hold a memorial event on Nov. 22.
