The victor emerges

Bank of Japan veteran Masaaki Shirakawa brings a wealth of experience to the central bank's top job, after a drawn-out battle for the post. By Malan Rietveld

Fielding predictable questions over whether he is a monetary policy hawk or dove, Masaaki Shirakawa was non-committal at his inaugural press conference. "I do not like to be called a hawk or a dove," said the new governor of the Bank of Japan (BoJ). "I feel sorry for the birds, as I am a bird watcher."

This mildly irritated response to a simplistic categorisation is perhaps not surprising. But given that Shirakawa's name only emerged towards the end of a bruising political battle over the