Aiko Mineshima is a Senior Economist in the IMF’s European Department, where she is a desk for Germany. She previously worked in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department, where she was one of the principle authors of the Fiscal Monitor, as well as in the Asia and Pacific and Middle East and Central Asia Departments. Prior to joining the IMF, she was an economist at the Bank of Japan, where she spent most of her time in the Economic Research and Financial Markets Departments. She holds a graduate degree from Columbia University.