:William Saito

Saito was born in Los Angeles, California; his parents immigrated to the US from Japan in 1969, two years before he was born.{{cite book|last1=Saito|first1=William Hiroyuki|title=An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur|date=2012|publisher=Wiley|location=Singapore|isbn=978-1-118-07727-6|oclc=778431581}} He is the eldest of three children.

In 1987, Saito graduated from Damien High School in La Verne, California.{{cite news|last1=Lin|first1=Justin|title=William Saito, Entrepreneur and Alumnus, to Speak at Damien Graduation|url=https://issuu.com/dhsspartans/docs/the_laconian_may_2015|work=The Laconian|volume=XLVII|issue=7|date=May 2015|pages=1–2|language=en}} He attended the University of California, Riverside from the Fall of 1988 to the Fall 1992, and was a student in Riverside's joint Biomedical Science Program with the University of California, Los Angeles in 1988.

When Saito was a junior in high school, he started a business in computer security. He later established the company as I/O Software in 1991 when he was a student. Among other technologies, I/O Software developed a system to display Japanese characters in software written in English, and a fingerprint recognition system used by Sony.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/1f92e6da-37b7-11e2-a97e-00144feabdc0|title=William H. Saito: Embrace failure to nurture entrepreneurs|last=Blair|first=Gavin|date=2012-12-03|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-01-25}} Microsoft began a partnership with I/O Software in 2000 to adopt the latter's authentication technology in future versions of Microsoft Windows.{{Cite news|url=https://news.microsoft.com/2000/05/02/microsoft-and-io-software-strengthen-industry-adoption-of-biometrics/|title=Microsoft and I/O Software Strengthen Industry Adoption of Biometrics|date=2000-05-02|work=Microsoft|access-date=2018-01-25|language=en-US}} Saito sold the I/O Software business assets to Microsoft in 2004.

After selling the I/O Software business, he moved to Japan, where he became active as a venture capitalist and invested in several Japanese start-ups. He was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2011.{{cite news|url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_Honourees_2011.pdf|title=List of 2011 Young Global Leaders Honourees|publisher=World Economic Forum|date=2011-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828142522/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_YGL_Honourees_2011.pdf|archive-date= 28 August 2011}}

Saito was an advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on cybersecurity issues.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/07/01/top-abe-cybersecurity-adviser-says-japan-could-be-global-leader-in-field/|title=Top Abe Cybersecurity Adviser Says Japan Could Be Global Leader in Field|last=Mochizuki|first=Takashi|date=2015-07-01|website=WSJ|language=en-US|access-date=2018-01-25}} Saito accompanied Abe on a 2015 visit to Silicon Valley, where Abe met with the heads of several major technology firms.{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/r-abe-seeking-new-spark-for-japan-high-tech-heads-to-silicon-valley-2015-4|title=Shinzo Abe wants to bring Silicon Valley to Japan|last1=Layne|first1=Nathan|date=2015-04-30|work=Business Insider|access-date=2018-01-29|agency=Reuters|last2=Wilson|first2=Thomas|language=en}} He was a cybersecurity advisor to the Cabinet Office from 2013 and an advisor to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry until revelations that led to his admission that he misrepresented his education and academic degrees came to light and he resigned these and other posts in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/22/national/former-meti-adviser-saito-rewrites-resume-quitting-government-posts-cloud-doubt/|title = Former METI adviser Saito rewrites resume after quitting government posts under cloud of doubt|date = 22 December 2017}}

In May 2019, Saito took a legal action in the Tokyo regional court against Kodansha which published the Shukan Gendai magazine (published on 3 March 2018). Kodansha paid a settlement and deleted the article at the request of the court.東京地方裁判所平成30年（ワ）第9375号2019年5月10日東京地裁判決

• {{cite book|title=An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur|date=2012|publisher=Wiley|location=Singapore|isbn=978-1-118-07727-6|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/778431581|oclc=778431581}}
• {{cite book|title=ザ・チーム: 日本の一番大きな問題を解く / Za chīmu: nihon no ichiban ōkina mondai o toku|date=2012|publisher=Nikkei BP|location=Tokyo|isbn=978-4-822-24924-3|oclc=812155963}}
• {{Cite book|title=その考え方は、「世界標準」ですか？ / Sono kangaekata wa, "sekai hyōjun" desu ka?|publisher=Daiwa Shobo|year=2013|isbn=978-4-479-79372-4|location=Tokyo}}
• {{Cite book|title=IoTは日本企業への警告である / IoT wa nihon kigyō e no keikoku de aru|publisher=Diamond-sha|year=2015|isbn=978-4-478-06745-1|location=Tokyo}}
• {{Cite book|title=ザ・チェンジ・メイカー / The Change Maker|publisher=Nikkei Publishing|year=2016|isbn=978-4-532-32055-3|location=Tokyo}}
• {{Cite book|title=超初心者のためのサイバーセキュリティ入門 / Chō shoshinsha no tame no saibāsekyuriti nyūmon|publisher=Bunshun Shinsho|year=2016|isbn=978-4-166-61097-6|location=Tokyo}}
• {{Cite book|title=世界一の会議 ダボス会議の秘密 / Sekaiichi no kaigi Dabosu kaigi no himitsu|publisher=Kodansha Plus Alpha Shinsho|year=2017|isbn=978-4-062-72978-9|location=Tokyo}}

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{{Commons category|William Saito|nowrap=yes}}

• {{URL|saitohome.com|William Saito}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1971 births

Category:21st-century Japanese businesspeople

Category:University of California, Riverside alumni

Category:Damien High School alumni

Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles