Keizo Saji

Keizō Saji (佐治敬三, Saji Keizō) (November 1, 1919 – November 3, 1999) was a Japanese businessman and art patron.

Saji founded the Suntory Museum of Art and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He was Suntory’s second president (after his father, Shinjirō Torii, the company’s founder) and later served as chairman. He also supported basic scientific research through initiatives associated with the Suntory Foundation for Life Sciences. He held the court rank of Senior Third Rank (正三位).

He was ranked by Forbes in 1987 as the tenth richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$4.0 billion.

Keizō Saji was born in Osaka in 1919, the son of Shinjirō Torii, founder of Suntory. Around 1932, he was formally adopted by relatives on his mother’s side and assumed the surname Saji, though he continued to reside with his biological parents in Osaka. In 1940, his elder brother died.

Raised in a merchant household during Japan’s interwar period, Saji was educated in Osaka before later entering the family business. His upbringing in Osaka, including his continued identification with the city’s merchant culture, influenced both his managerial style and public persona. Like his father he was proud of his Osaka roots and never gave up his strong Osaka accent when speaking and writing.

Around 1932, he was adopted by relatives on his mother’s side and assumed the surname Saji. While this was a formal adoption, he continued to reside with his biological parents in Osaka. This adoption allowed him to be given a court rank and be listed in the peerage.

Saji married the third daughter of the engineer Yuzuru Hiraga. She died at the age of 21 shortly after giving birth to their eldest son, Saji Nobutada. He later remarried, taking as his second wife a daughter of Kensaku Ōhira, former president of Sumitomo Bank.

Nobutada, born to his first wife, served as President and Representative Director of Suntory and later served as chairman.