# Natsuhiko Sakimura

> Japanese computer scientist

**Wikidata**: [Q11477132](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11477132)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/natsuhiko-sakimura

## Summary
Natsuhiko Sakimura is a Japanese computer scientist born in Tokyo in 1965. He serves as the Chairman of the OpenID Foundation. He is an alumnus of Hitotsubashi University.

## Biography
- **Born:** July 26, 1965 (Tokyo, Japan)
- **Nationality:** Japan
- **Education:** Hitotsubashi University (National university in Kunitachi, Tokyo)
- **Known for:** Serving as Chairman of the OpenID Foundation
- **Field(s):** Computer Science
- **Languages:** Japanese

## Contributions
Natsuhiko Sakimura has made significant contributions to the field of computer science, specifically within the realm of digital identity and open standards. His primary recognized contribution is his leadership role within the OpenID Foundation, where he serves as the Chairman. The OpenID Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes identity standards and specifications; Sakimura's role places him at the forefront of developing and maintaining the frameworks used for secure user authentication and authorization across the web.

In addition to his leadership in industry standards, Sakimura maintains an active presence in the academic and developer communities. He is listed with a DBLP author ID (172/5020), indicating a track record of scholarly publications in computer science. He also engages with the technical community via social media under the handle `_nat`, where he has amassed a following of over 9,000 users (as of February 2023), reflecting his influence and relevance in ongoing technical discourse.

## FAQs

### Q: What is Natsuhiko Sakimura's role at the OpenID Foundation?
A: He serves as the Chairman of the OpenID Foundation, an organization focused on promoting identity standards.

### Q: Where was Natsuhiko Sakimura educated?
A: He was educated at Hitotsubashi University, a national university located in Kunitachi, Tokyo, Japan.

### Q: What aliases or alternate names does Natsuhiko Sakimura use?
A: He is also known as Nat Sakimura and by the Japanese characters 崎村 夏彦.

## Why They Matter
Natsuhiko Sakimura matters significantly to the infrastructure of the modern internet due to his involvement with the OpenID Foundation. As Chairman, he helps steward the protocols and standards that allow for interoperable digital identity management. This work is foundational to how users securely log in and interact with services across different platforms globally.

His position bridges the gap between Japanese academia—specifically his ties to Hitotsubashi University—and global technology standards. By chairing a foundation that dictates how identity is managed online, his influence extends to developers, corporations, and end-users who rely on secure, standardized authentication methods. His consistent engagement with the public and technical sectors solidifies his status as a key figure in the evolution of internet security and identity.

## Notable For
- **Chairman of the OpenID Foundation:** Leading the organization in its mission to create widely-adopted identity standards.
- **Academic Background:** Being an alumnus of Hitotsubashi University, a prestigious national university in Japan established in 1875.
- **Bilingual Influence:** Operating professionally under both his Japanese name (崎村 夏彦) and the alias "Nat Sakimura," bridging Japanese and English-speaking tech communities.
- **Social Media Presence:** Maintaining an active and followed voice in the tech community via Twitter (`@_nat`).
- **DBLP Recognition:** Having a recognized record of academic publications within the computer science database DBLP.

## Body

### Early Life and Education
Natsuhiko Sakimura was born on July 26, 1965, in Tokyo, Japan. He is a male citizen of Japan and speaks Japanese. He pursued his higher education at Hitotsubashi University, a national university located in Kunitachi, Tokyo. The university is recognized for its focus on commerce and social sciences and was originally established in 1875 as the Commercial Training School before becoming Tokyo University of Commerce and eventually Hitotsubashi University.

### Career and Standards Work
Sakimura is identified primarily as a computer scientist. His most prominent role is serving as the Chairman of the OpenID Foundation. This leadership position implies a deep involvement in the architecture of web authentication and identity protocols.

### Online Presence and Publications
Sakimura maintains a verified presence in academic and social spheres.
*   **Social Media:** He operates the Twitter account `_nat`, which he joined on January 26, 2008. His follower count has grown consistently, reaching 7,108 in January 2021 and 9,391 by February 2023.
*   **Academia:** He is indexed in DBLP, a major computer science bibliography, with the author ID 172/5020, confirming his contribution to computer science literature.
*   **Identifiers:** He is listed in the Google Knowledge Graph with the ID `/g/1214fzmb`.

## References

1. [Source](https://openid.net/foundation/leadership/)