Hiroshi Saito, former chairman of Nippon Steel Corp., died of a respiratory disorder at a Tokyo hospital Friday morning, his family said Tuesday. He was 80.
His family and relatives have already held a funeral.
Saito joined Nippon Steel in 1942 and became president in 1987. He served as chairman between 1993 and 1998, during which he also worked as vice chairman of the Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren), a leading business lobby.