Former Japanese defense chief Toshitsugu Saito dies at 81
In short
Toshitsugu Saito (斉藤斗志二), a former head of Japan's Defense Agency and seven-term member of the House of Representatives from Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, has died at 81. TBS NEWS DIG and Yahoo! News Japan reported, citing people close to him, that he died on October 3 at a hospital in Tokyo after falling ill, and that the funeral was held with close relatives only.
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Toshitsugu Saito (斉藤斗志二), a former Director-General of Japan's Defense Agency who served seven terms in the House of Representatives, has died at the age of 81, TBS NEWS DIG, Nippon TV News and Yahoo! News Japan reported on October 9. According to people close to him, cited by TBS NEWS DIG and Yahoo! News Japan, Saito fell ill and died on October 3 at a hospital in Tokyo. The funeral has already been held with close relatives only, the outlets said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Saito was born in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, and belonged to the founding family of Daishowa Seishi (大昭和製紙), a paper maker based in the city. He was first elected in the 1986 House of Representatives election as the successor to his uncle, Shigeyoshi Saito (斉藤滋与史), who had left the seat to become governor of Shizuoka Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
He went on to serve seven consecutive terms, 24 years in all, in the lower house. In 2000 he entered the cabinet for the first time as Director-General of the Defense Agency in the second reshuffled cabinet of Prime Minister Mori. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Saito lost his seat in the 2009 House of Representatives election and retired from politics. Nippon TV News reported that he was defeated in his constituency by Goshi Hosono, who at the time belonged to the Democratic Party. After leaving politics he devoted himself to sports promotion, including as chairman of the Shizuoka prefectural sports association, TBS NEWS DIG and Yahoo! News Japan reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Saito served seven terms in the lower house and entered the cabinet in 2000 as Defense Agency chief, so his death closes a chapter of Shizuoka politics covered by two national broadcasters. The coverage is limited to his career and the circumstances of his death, and the documents point to no wider consequences.
Key facts
- Toshitsugu Saito, former Defense Agency chief and seven-term House of Representatives member, has died at 81. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He died on October 3 at a hospital in Tokyo after falling ill, according to people close to him. [ 1 , 3 ]
- He was first elected in the 1986 lower house election as successor to his uncle Shigeyoshi Saito (斉藤滋与史), who became governor of Shizuoka Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He served seven consecutive terms, 24 years in all, in the House of Representatives. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He first entered the cabinet in 2000 as Director-General of the Defense Agency in the second reshuffled Mori cabinet. [ 1 , 3 ]
- He lost his seat in the 2009 lower house election to Goshi Hosono, then of the Democratic Party, and retired from politics. [ 2 ]
- After retiring he served as chairman of the Shizuoka prefectural sports association and worked on sports promotion. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The funeral was held with close relatives only. [ 1 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Toshitsugu Saito, former Defense Agency chief and seven-term lower house member, has died at 81. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He was first elected in 1986 as successor to his uncle Shigeyoshi Saito, who became Shizuoka governor. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He retired from politics after losing in the 2009 lower house election. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The cause of death. The reports say only that he fell ill; no cause of death is given.
- His defeat by Goshi Hosono in 2009. Only Nippon TV News names the opponent; the other reports say only that he lost the election.
- He died on October 3 at a hospital in Tokyo after falling ill. Reported by a single source so far