Nitobe Leadership Program
2013

Giving Back to the Japanese Economy

Lecturer: William H. Saito (President & CEO, Intecur, K.K.)
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2013, 1:30-3:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, International House of Japan
Language: Only available in Japanese (without English interpretation)
Admission: Free (reservations required)

*This lecture has finished.

While the world faces various challenges, Japan, as one of the forerunners in emerging issues, is trying very hard to revitalize itself. Mr. Saito, who describes himself as an entrepreneur and a life adventurer, will tell us the reasons why he came to Japan and the problems Japanese society is facing and their solutions.

President & CEO, Intecur, K.K.

William H. Saito

Born in California, Mr. Saito took up commercial software programming when he was 10 years old and incorporated his company just a decade later. Selling the business to Microsoft, he moved to Tokyo in 2005 and founded Intecur, K.K., a consultancy that helps companies worldwide to identify and market innovative technologies. He became CEO of a major venture capital fund and indulged his passion for helping entrepreneurs to success. In 2012, he was named a council member on National Strategy and Policy for the National Policy Unit, a new Cabinet-level organization that reports directly to the prime minister of Japan. He was also an adviser and CTO of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC), the first such commission ever appointed by Japan’s national legislature. On the global front, he was named a Foundation Board Member of the World Economic Forum after being honored as both a Young Global Leader and Global Agenda Council member in 2011. Most recently, he was selected by the Nikkei as one of the “100 Most Influential People for Japan.”
His autobiography, An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur, was published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons. His first book in Japanese, The Team: Solving the Biggest Problem in Japan, was published in 2012 by Nikkei BP.

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