Press Release No. 21/328

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva Proposes Appointment of Mr. Kenji Okamura as Deputy Managing Director

November 10, 2021

Washington, DC: Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today to the Executive Board of the IMF her proposal to appoint Mr. Kenji Okamura as Deputy Managing Director, effective December 3, 2021. Mr. Okamura currently serves the Government of Japan as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on International Economic Policies. He will fill the vacancy created by the departure of Mitsuhiro Furusawa, who, as previously announced, steps down on November 30.

In announcing her selection of Mr. Okamura, Ms. Georgieva said:

“Mr. Okamura, who currently serves the Government of Japan as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on International Economic Policies, has a distinguished background and brings his wealth of experience in international economics and finance to the Fund.

“Mr. Okamura served as Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs from 2020-21, Japan’s highest civil servant position in international finance. In this position, he oversaw all the international finance work of the Ministry and participated in the IMFC, G7, G20, ASEAN + 3, and other fora, representing Japan as the Finance Minister’s Deputy. He has spent more than a decade as one of the key policymakers in Japan on issues of international economic policy.

“Mr. Okamura played an important role in the successful conclusion of the Quota and Voice Reforms at the IMF in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. More recently, he was one of the leading figures in the global efforts to address the COVID-19 crisis, including the historic $650 billion SDR allocation. He has also been instrumental in the ongoing efforts to strengthen the Fund’s support for its low-income countries through increases in the PRGT and the CCRT resources. His extensive experience in international fora also includes his work at the OECD as Vice Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee, and at the World Bank as IDA Deputy for the successful IDA18 replenishment.

“Since joining Japan’s Ministry of Finance in 1985, Mr. Okamura has held several high-level positions, including Director-General of the International Bureau from 2019-20 and Senior Deputy Director-General of the International Bureau from 2017-19. He also served as Deputy Director-General of the International Bureau from 2015-17 and as Deputy Commissioner of Japan’s Financial Services Agency from 2013-15.

“Mr. Okamura’s experiences have also included a secondment at the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department from 1993-96. He received a Bachelor of Law from the University of Tokyo, and a Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.”