was a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 businessman, central banker and the 6th Governor of the Bank of Japan

Bank of Japan

is the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chuo, Tokyo.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was founded after the Meiji Restoration...

 (BOJ). He was a Baron and a member of Japan's House of Peers

House of Peers (Japan)

The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....

 from 1900 through 1916.

Career

In 1900, Matsuo had risen to the position of bureau chief in the Finance Ministry

Ministry of Finance (Japan)

The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...

.

Matsuo was BOJ Governor from October 20, 1903 to June 1, 1911. During his term, the bank managed the money supply to restrain inflation.

In 1904, Matsuo assembled the heads of 35 commercial banks, offering favourable terms for lending by BOJ.

Matsuo construed complaints about "bad times" to mean that economic conditions were normal, and that there had been diminished opportunities for speculation.