[4] Saito was born in Yasuda-machi, Kitakanbara District, Niigata, present day Agano city.
[6] In 1986, when the 5th Chairman of Keidanren, Yoshihiro Inayama, retired, Saito was chosen with unanimous consent.
[11] With Saito's recommendation, the Japanese government supported half the cost, one billion yen, of building Questacon, the Australian National Science and Technology Centre.
[11] The Nagano Olympic Organizing Committee (NAOC) was formally established in June 1991 with Saito as president.
[12] At the 1998 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, 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.