(November 11, 1911 - April 22, 2002) was a Japanese businessman, the former President of

Nippon Steel was formed in 2012 by the merger of the old Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal. was established in 1970 by the merger of Fuji Iron & Steel and Yawata Iron & Steel. Nippon Steel is the world's third largest steel producer by volume as of 2019. ...

, the 6th Chairman of the

Japan Business Federation The is an economic organization founded in May 2002 by amalgamation of Keidanren (, Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, established 1946; name sometimes used alone as abbreviation for whole organization) and Nikkeiren (, Japan Federatio ...

(Keidanren) from 1986 to 1991, President of the Japan Science Foundation from 1988, President of the Japan Sports Fund, and President of the

Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee The Nagano Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 1998 (NAOC) was the organizing committee for the 1998 Winter Olympics in the city of Nagano, Japan. The committee was established shortly after Nagano was selected as the host city i ...

Biography

Saito was born in Yasuda-machi, Kitakanbara District, Niigata, present day Agano city. In 1941, Saito joined Nippon Steel. In 1968, he became their Senior Managing Director and in 1973 he became Executive Vice President. In 1981, he became Chairman and CEO of Nippon Steel. In 1987, he retired as chairman, and became Honorary Chairman. Saito died of heart failure at the age of 90. Saito was survived by two children, a daughter and son.

Public affairs

In 1986, when the 5th Chairman of Keidanren, Yoshihiro Inayama, retired, Saito was chosen with unanimous consent. Previous to being chosen as Chairman, Saito was one of 10 Vice Chairmen, and it was practice to select a chairmen from among the vice chairmen. As Chairman of Keidanren, Saito encouraged talks at the corporate-level between Japanese companies and major trading partner companies, and at Japan-US discussions between 1989 and 1990, Saito represented Japanese businesses. During US-Japan business talks in 1987, Saito warned Japanese business to consider "social responsibility" and "international commitment", and suggested that Japanese business could relinquish some market share. Saito also urged the Japanese government to set up a fund to distribute government guaranteed loans for developing nations to "expand the social infrastructure of the world". Saito had been credited with helping soften tensions that existed in the 1980s between Japan and its various trading partners. During the October 1978 visit of

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...

to Japan, Deng visited the Nippon Steel pant near

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

. Deng asked if a similar plant could be built in China. Saito, at that time the company president, replied that something better could be built. In 1986, the Japanese government established the Australian National 200 Year Forum, with Saito as Chairman, to support the

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

. With Saito's recommendation, the Japanese government supported half the cost, one billion yen, of building

Questacon Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre is an interactive science communication facility in Canberra, Australia. It is a museum with more than 200 interactive exhibits relating to science and technology. It has many science ...

, the Australian National Science and Technology Centre.

1998 Winter Olympics

The

(NAOC) was formally established in June 1991 with Saito as president. In December 1997, with Japanese

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

Midori Ito, Saito brought the

Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...

as part of the 1998 Winter Olympics torch relay to

Ryutaro Hashimoto was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1996 to 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politi ...

, at the time the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of S ...

. At the

1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics took place at Nagano Olympic Stadium, Nagano, Japan, on 7 February 1998. It began at 11:00 JST and finished at approximately 14:00 JST. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings combi ...

, Saito was quoted as saying "I sincerely hope that these games from the heart will achieve such splendid heights that they will ... be talked of for generations to come."

Awards

* Japanese Blue Ribbon Medal of Honor, in 1967 (藍綬褒章) *

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest tw ...

1st class, Grand Cordon, in 1982 *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...

, 1st class, Grand Cordon, in 1990

References

External links