Yoshihiko Saito (斎藤 嘉彦, Saitō Yoshihiko; born 12 February 1972 in Tomioka, Gunma) is a retired Japanese athlete who specialized in the 400 metres hurdles. He was the first Asian to run under 49 seconds in the event. With a personal best time of 48.64 seconds, achieved in October 1998 in Kumamoto, he is a former Asian record holder. The Asian record currently belongs to Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily with 47.53 seconds, and the Japanese record to Dai Tamesue.
Source: “Yoshihiko Saito”, English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), excerpt