Celebrating 25 Years of the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

The year 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (OAP) in Tokyo. The office operates as the IMF’s interface with the region and has been continuously supporting regional cooperation through policy dialogue, capacity development, and outreach work to bring sustainable growth in this rich and diverse region since its establishment in December 1997.

OAP held two events to commemorate this important milestone in 2022. In July, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Japan’s Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki, launched a high-level panel discussion on economic policy priorities and international cooperation to reflect on lessons from the past 25 years of economic development in the Asia-Pacific region. Both current and former high-level policymakers discussed the current state and prospects of the regional economy and outlined policy priorities to make the regional economy more resilient and sustainable.

The office also hosted a celebratory event in November with four special guests: IMF Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura; Japan’s former Prime Minister, Taro Aso; Japan’s Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki; and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda. More than 200 guests from various sectors, including relevant ministries and offices, academia, think tanks, and scholars under the OAP-administered Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia, joined the event to celebrate OAP’s role as a regional hub for cooperation in Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit the anniversary website.