Kuroda is top pick for Bank of Japan governor

Asian Development Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda has emerged as the leading contender.

Japanese media reported the government is strongly considering nominating Kuroda as the next Bank of Japan president to succeed Masaaki Shirakawa. Kuroda is being considered the first candidate for the post.

As a Japanese finance ministry bureaucrat, Kuroda was responsible for international affairs and foreign exchange policy from 1999 and 2003 before assuming the post of ADB President in 2005.

He was also a former vice finance minister for international affairs and is an advocate of aggressive monetary easing to overcome Japan's persistent deflation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shares similar views.

Shirakawa disagreed with Abe on policy matters such as aggressive monetary easing. He will resign on March 19 or several weeks before the official end of his term.

Among other candidates are former vice finance minister Toshiro Muto and Kazumasa Iwata, head of a policy think-tank. Muto and Iwata were former deputy governor of the central bank.