Kota Shimoda

Kota Shimoda is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2025-26. Shimoda joined the Japanese Ministry of Finance in 2018. From 2021 to 2022, he engaged in research on economic conditions, including the monetary policies of various countries. In 2023, he assessed the budget of the salaries and allowances of national public officials, especially allowances for diplomats, and was involved in revising the "Act on Travel Expenses of National Public Officers" at the budget bureau. In 2024, he transferred to the Financial Services Agency, where he worked on revising the Payment Services Act and participated in meetings related to the Central Bank Digital Currency and crypto assets. While at APARC, he will be researching the relationship between the development of social networking services and the improvement of financial literacy.