William H. Saito, who moved to Tokyo from California eight years ago, has had some splendid achievements in his 41 years of life so far.

The computer prodigy launched his first software company at age 14, engaged in the programming business with Japan's major IT giants in the mid-1980s, developed the world's first biometric authentication standard for technologies such as fingerprint recognition, then sold his company to Microsoft Corp. in 2004.

He also became one of the youngest to win the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and in 2011, the World Economic Forum, an organization known for its annual meeting of global leaders in Davos, Switzerland, selected Saito as a Young Global Leader, a title given to people under age 40 who have demonstrated their commitment to serving society. Saito now serves as a board member of the WEF.