Masaaki Shirakawa was previously 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 BIS (The Bank for International Settlements) between January 2011 and March 2013. Currently, he is Distinguished Guest Professor at Aoyama-Gakuin University in Tokyo and a member of the Group of Thirty. Masaaki Shirakawa joined the Bank of Japan in 1972. At the Bank, he held various key positions, including the Bank's Chief Representative in the Americas and Executive Director in charge of monetary policy. Other professional experiences include professorship at the Kyoto University School of Government from July 2006 to March 2008.

Masaaki Shirakawa studied economics at the University of Tokyo (B.A.) and at the University of Chicago (M.A.). He published several books, including Tumultuous Times : Central Banking in an Era of Crisis by Yale University Press in 2021.