His research focuses on linkages between financial systems and macroeconomic activities. His research papers have been published in leading academic journals, including the Review of Economic Studies and the Journal of Economic Theory. Until 2014, he worked for the IMF for 14 years, mostly in the Research Department. He also held a visiting position at the Economics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2011–12). He obtained his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago in 2000. Prior to this, he worked at the Ministry of Finance, Japan, after obtaining a B.A. in economics from the University of Tokyo.