ECONOMISTS from Japan

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Japanese Economists of all time. This list of famous Japanese Economists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Kenichi Ohmae (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 50.34, Kenichi Ohmae is the most famous Japanese Economist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.

Kenichi Ohmae (大前 研一, Ōmae Ken'ichi, born February 22, 1943) is a Japanese organizational theorist, management consultant, former Professor and Dean of UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and author, known for developing the 3Cs model.

2. Haruhiko Kuroda (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 50.33, Haruhiko Kuroda is the 2nd most famous Japanese Economist.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Haruhiko Kuroda (黒田 東彦, Kuroda Haruhiko, born 25 October 1944) is a Japanese banker and a former Ministry of Finance government official who served as the 31st Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ) from March 2013 to April 2023 and is currently a Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). From 2003 Mr Kuroda served as Special Advisor to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Koizumi, while teaching economics and finance as a Professor at the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Economics. He was formerly the President of the Asian Development Bank from 1 February 2005 to 18 March 2013.

3. Masaaki Shirakawa (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 43.39, Masaaki Shirakawa is the 3rd most famous Japanese Economist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Masaaki Shirakawa (白川 方明, Shirakawa Masaaki, born September 27, 1949) is a Japanese economist and the 30th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), and professor at Aoyama Gakuin University. He is also a Director and Vice-Chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).