is a Japanese politician from

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 344,194 in 163,675 households and a population density of 4800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is located in th ...

. Having graduated from

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...

, Saitō was elected to in 1971. In 1979, he was elected to Saitama Prefectural Assembly and served for 12 years. In October 1991, Saitō was elected mayor of Tokorozawa. While he was in office, in 1997, TV Asahi aired a news report alleging that the vegetables grown in Tokorozawa were polluted with dioxin. Saitō had his salary docked for covering up information about the pollution. He announced in August 2007 that he would not run for a fifth term and was succeeded by Yoshiko Tōma in October 2007.

References

* * Mayors of places in Saitama Prefecture Members of the Saitama Prefectural Assembly 1939 births Living people Honorary Companions of the Order of Australia People from Tokorozawa, Saitama 20th-century Japanese politicians 21st-century Japanese politicians {{Japan-mayor-stub