Tomoko Hayashi

Tomoko Hayashi served in the Japanese government for 39 years, specializing in economic policy and working on policymaking and domestic and international economic analysis. She also handled policy coordination directly under the Prime Minister’s Office and has broad experience in the field of policy administration ranging from economic to social policy.

She has held a range of senior positions, including Cabinet Counsellor and Counsellor (Domestic Affairs General) to the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary; Deputy Director-General for Policy Planning in the Cabinet Office; Director-General of the Gender Equality Bureau in the Cabinet Office; and Director-General for Policy Planning of the Cabinet Office. While serving as Director in the Cabinet Office, she was involved in economic and fiscal management centered on the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, and worked on the formulation of the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform (“honebuto no houshin”) and the Joint Statement of the Government and the Bank of Japan.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics. She has also written on monetary policy and served as Vice Chair of the APEC Economic Committee and Vice Chair of the OECD Economic Policy Committee.

She is currently Vice President of the Japan Association of Business Cycle Studies and continues to comment on the Japanese economy and policy trends as an economist.