Dr. Yoichi Takahashi is a mathematician, economist and politician who completed the privatization of Japan Post from the ground up under the Koizumi administration. "Japan Post is currently the most prominent financial institution in the world.
 
He has served several prime ministers in policy-making, sometimes clashing with the ironclad bureaucracy that operates on a merit system. As a result, he is the most popular choice of advisor for many prime ministers and lawmakers.
 
Better call "Yoichi"! 
Most political leaders and prime ministers have 
Dr. Takahashi on speed dial. 
 
His expertise ranges from fiscal policy to 
diplomacy/international relations, government reform, infrastructure, Asset Management and Computer Science.
 
Dr. Takahashi was a child prodigy. 
As a young student, he was able to challenge math teachers by passing advanced quizzes and countering them with more complex questions. 
He entered the mathematics department of Tokyo University and graduated with honors. He later re-entered the university to major in economics while working for a government statistics agency. Soon after graduating from Tokyo University, he was recruited by the Ministry of Finance, which sits at the pinnacle of the Japanese bureaucracy. 
 
During his tenure at the Ministry, he was sent to Princeton University as a research fellow to study international relations and national security with Dr. Michael W. Doyle. He also studied economics at Princeton, where he became friends with Dr. Ben Bernanke and Dr. Paul Krugman. 
 
Returning to his original ministry position, 
Dr. Takahashi did not go easy on his colleagues. 
He was feared by his colleagues for pointing out the unpleasant reality of the ministry's budget management. 

While the media frenzy headlined a trillion yen debt and the Finance Ministry sought a massive tax hike, Takahashi was able to recalculate the government's assets and prove that Japan wasn't in debt at all.  
The revelation of the so-called "hidden treasure" brought him into even more conflict with his colleagues.
Nevertheless, the doctor was lucky enough to be picked up by Heizo Takenaka, then state minister for economic and fiscal policy in Jun'ichiro Koizumi's administration. 
 
Takahashi was in his element working for politicians, serving cabinet members and prime ministers directly. He was able to introduce numerous reforms and policies to the government from the outside. 
 
Takahashi has published more than 60 books, many of them bestsellers. These include Introduction to Thomas Piketty, Introduction to Basic Economics, and Introduction to Basic Accounting. He also teaches at Kaetsu University.