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Before joining the IDB Board of Executive Directors, Mitsutoshi (Toshi) Kajikawa served as the Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs at Japan's Ministry of Finance (JMOF) from July 2023 to July 2026. In this senior leadership role, he oversaw a diverse portfolio encompassing the legislative reform and implementation of foreign direct investment screening regimes for national economic security, international financial integrity (AML/CFT), and targeted financial sanctions. He headed Japan's delegation to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for three years and served as Co-Chair of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) for the 2024–2026 term.
Throughout his career at JMOF, he maintained a steadfast focus on international financial cooperation. As Director for Development Issues (2016–2017), he was a key negotiator for the operations and replenishment of global climate funds, while also managing financial cooperation with China. Subsequently, as Director of the Office of the Vice Minister for International Affairs (2017–2018), he coordinated the Minister of Finance's engagements in major global forums. In later roles, including Director for Regional Financial Cooperation (2018–2020) and Minister for Finance at the Embassy of Japan in China (2020–2023), he led high-level negotiations to strengthen regional financial safety nets, specifically the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM), and managed strategic relations within the Asia-Pacific region.
He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Kyoto University, where his research on multilateral development banks primarily employed empirical data and econometric regression models to evaluate lending operations and membership dynamics, complemented by comparative governance studies. His academic journey also includes a Master of Arts in Regional Studies – East Asia from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tokyo. Additionally, he has passed the Japanese National Bar Examination.
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