 In 2003, the Japanese government gave Saito the Medal with Purple Ribbon for his contributions to the arts.In 2005, "Golgo" was one of two winners of the Special Judges Award at the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards.In 2009, Saito was among the 158 manga artists invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both Shogakukan's "Weekly Shōnen Sunday" magazine and Kodansha's "Weekly Shōnen Magazine" at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel.