Heizo Takenaka is a professor emeritus at Keio University in Japan. And was formerly Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications etc (2001-2006). In his capacity as an economist and as part of his social activities, he also serves on several advisory boards and committees including: Member of the Policy Council under Kishida Administration; and independent Outside Director, SBI Holdings Inc. He was named to a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum in 2007. Professor Takenaka’s research interest is in economic policy.

In 2001, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi named Professor Takenaka the Minister for Economic/Fiscal Policy, in which position he chaired the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy and steered macroeconomic policy.  Over the next 5 and a half years, he spearheaded Japan’s economic structural reform.  In 2002, Professor Takenaka was named the Minister for both Financial Services and Economic/Fiscal Policy.  In this capacity, he accomplished the disposal of non-performing loans of Japanese banks, which had hindered the Japanese economy for more than 10 years.  In 2004, he was elected to the House of Councilors, and was named the Minister for both Economic/Fiscal Policy and Privatization of the Postal Services.  In this capacity, he realized the privatization of Japan Post, the biggest public enterprise in Japan.  In 2005, he was named the Minister for both Internal Affairs and Communication, and Privatization of the Postal Services.  The following year, Professor Takenaka returned to academia, leaving both the Cabinet and the House of Councilors when Prime Minister Koizumi resigned.

Professor Takenaka started his academic career in 1981 as a visiting scholar at both Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania.  His academic experience includes: Senior Economist, Institute of Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Japanese Ministry of Finance (1982); Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Osaka University (1987); Visiting Associate Professor, Harvard University (1989); Visiting Fellow, Institute of International Economics (1989); and Associate Professor (1990) and Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University (1996).  Professor Takenaka was named a member of the Economic Strategy Council (advisory board for economic policy to the Prime Minister) in 1998 and a member of the IT Strategy Council (advisory board on IT policy to the Prime Minister) in 2000.

Professor Takenaka received his B.A. in economics from Hitotsubashi University and his Ph.D in economics from Osaka University.  He is the author of numerous books, including “Contemporary Japanese Economy and Economic Policy” (1991), “Prospects of the Japanese Economy for the 21st Century” (1993), “The Internationalization of the Japanese Economy and Corporate Investment” (1993), “Wealth of People” (1994), “The Economy in which Fast Movers Win” (1998), “Policy Crisis and the Japanese Economy – A Search for the Causes of the Economic Slowdown in the 1990s” (2001), “The Structural Reforms of the Koizumi Cabinet” (2008) and “Lessons from Heisei Era”(2019).