is a Japanese politician from

Tokorozawa, Saitama is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,298 in 168,939 households and a population density of 4761 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tokorozawa is ...

Career

Having graduated from

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private research university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. The university finds its roots in a school called Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (English Law School), which was founded in 1885, and became a university in 1 ...

, 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 In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Tokorozawa. He announced in August 2007 that he would not run for a fifth term and was succeeded by Yoshiko Tōma in October 2007.

Controversies

While he was mayor of Tokorozawa, in 1997,

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

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.

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