Kanda wins second term as ADB president
Masato Kanda, who had been special adviser to Japan’s prime minister and finance minister from 2024 to 2025, Japan’s vice-minister of finance for international affairs from 2021 to 2024, was first elected as the ADB’s 11th president on 27 November 2024 and assumed the position on 24 February 2025, serving the remainder of his predecessor Masatsugu Asakawa’s term.
MASATO Kanda, who had previously served as Japan’s Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs (2021–2024), received unanimous support for a second term as Asian Development President. In a statement, he said ‘ADB must be the region’s anchor of stability. But stability cannot mean standing still. We must mobilize with speed and at the scale our members need, to protect people today while helping build a brighter future for the next generation.’
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Asian Development Bank
