Equally, last year's flooding of the Mekong river, which devastated large parts of Cambodia, should serve as a warning to the region, says David McCauley, head of the ADB's climate-change programme.

ECONOMIST: The threat grows from rising water and sinking buildings

In particular, Kuroda is a fluent English speaker and, after eight years at the helm of the Manila-based ADB, may be seen as a more effective ambassador for policies that have already caused friction among Japan's trading partners.

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More "software" experts, including sociologists and anthropologists, are being recruited to join the ADB's 2, 000-strong staff, which includes about 650 executives.

CNN: Inside Asia's New Bank for the Poor

But with those now pinched by the recession, and with foreign direct investment also down, the unthreatening overtures of the ADB may be the best near-term hope.

FORBES: Side Lines

The ADB's participation in International Monetary Fund-led bailouts of Crisis-hit countries South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia has raised concerns about the state of its coffers.

CNN: Inside Asia's New Bank for the Poor

An economic wedge--to help restore Pakistan to growth rates it had attained before the current crisis and to help spread the bounty among a most unequal society--could be supplied by the ADB.

FORBES: Side Lines

And yet, says Rajat Nag, the ADB's managing director, for the past 20-odd years a pan-Asian conversation about the benefits of deeper integration has only grown.

ECONOMIST: Regional economic integration has a long, long way to go

"The short term outlook for the region is bleak as the full impact of the severe recession in industrialized economies is transmitted to emerging markets, " said Jong-Wha Lee, acting chief economist for the ADB.

CNN: Asian economic outlook 'bleak' for 2009

Crisis-related projects in Thailand and Indonesia are examples of the kind of work the ADB will be doing.

CNN: Inside Asia's New Bank for the Poor