Etsuro Honda

Etsuro Honda is an Adjunct Professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Management and a key economic adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A distinguished economist and former senior official in Japan’s Ministry of Finance, he has spent more than four decades shaping economic policy in Japan and internationally.

Prior to joining academia, Professor Honda served in Japan’s Ministry of Finance, where he worked on fiscal and monetary policy as well as economic support initiatives for developing countries. In 2012, he was appointed Special Advisor to then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, contributing to the development and implementation of the economic policy framework widely known as Abenomics. He has also served as Japan’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein and held positions at the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

At Kyoto University, Professor Honda combines academic scholarship with policy experience to examine the challenges of economic resilience, deflation, and sustainable growth. His research and teaching emphasise evidence-based policymaking and the role of monetary and fiscal policy in addressing long-term economic challenges. He is also the author of several publications on Japanese economic policy and financial reform, including The Truth in Abenomics and Financial Deregulation in Japan.

As an adviser to Prime Minister Takaichi, Professor Honda continues to contribute to debates on Japan’s economic strategy, fiscal, sustainability, financial markets, and long-term growth.