Saitō, Hiroshi, 1886-1939

Hiroshi Saito (斎藤 博, Saitō Hiroshi; December 24, 1886 – February 26, 1939) was the Japanese ambassador to the United States from 1934 till his resignation in October 1938. He died months later in February 1939. As an envoy, Saito took part in Japan's 1934 renunciation of the Washington Naval Treaty. Saito worked to maintain good relations with the U.S., even as further global condemnation for the Japanese invasion of Manchuria was mounting. Among the notable issues that he faced was the USS Panay incident. Almost no one in the United States remained sympathetic to Japan following these two situations and Saito's career was then considered a failure. He resigned as Ambassador in October, 1938 and died in Washington, D.C. in February, 1939 at age 52 from tuberculosis. Upon his death, still with Ambassador rank, his body was returned to Japan via the heavy cruiser USS Astoria under the command of Captain Richmond K. Turner.