Hirano is next President of MUFG

Appointment takes effect April 1.

Noboyuki Hirano, 61, will take over leadership of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan’s largest financial group, as the group expands overseas and has made several important acquisitions. He will replace Katsunori Nagayasu.

Hirano spent over a decade in the United States and is a fluent English speaker, a rare trait among Japanese bank executives.

MUFG, which has US$26 billion in assets, has taken advantage of its solid financial base to build loans overseas as European lenders shrink their assets. It ranked No. 1 among global project finance mandated arrangers in 2012.

MUFG runs two investment banking joint ventures with Morgan Stanley in Japan, competing with industry heavy weights Nomura Holdings and Daiwa Securities Group Inc.