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Corporate Development

ASICS Corporation started life as Onitsuka Co., Ltd. on September 1, 1949. On July 5, 1958, we amalgamated with a sales subsidiary, Tokyo Onitsuka Co., Ltd. which was originally a manufacturing subsidiary, toand become Onitsuka Co., Ltd.,. Following this, on June 1, 1963, Onitsuka Co., Ltd., absorbed into Chuo Sangyo Co., Ltd. (established on May 27, 1943, and renamed Onitsuka Co., Ltd. on June 1, 1963), which was on a break in business at that time, in order to change the per value of the stock from 500 yen to 50 yen.

Thereafter, on July 21, 1977, the new Onitsuka Co., Ltd. merged with GTO Co., Ltd, a manufacturer of sports wear and goods, and JELENK Co., Ltd, a manufacturer of sports wear, and became the present ASICS Corporation. Since this major merger, ASICS has grown into one of the leading sporting manufacturers within the industry.

1949 March Foundation of Onitsuka Shokai
September Establishment of Onitsuka Co., Ltd. in Kobe, reorganizing Onitsuka Shokai. Started the development, production, and sales of sports shoes, such as basketball shoes, aiming to become a manufacturer specializing in sports footwear.
1953 May Opening of Tiger Rubber Factory in Kobe.
1955 August Establishment of Tokyo Onitsuka Co., Ltd. in Tokyo to work as a sales center for the Kanto and Tohoku regions (Eastern Japan).
1957 June Tiger Rubber Factory was reorganized into Onitsuka Co., Ltd.
1958 July Onitsuka Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Onitsuka Co., Ltd. were merged into Onitsuka Co., Ltd. integrating the sales and manufacturing sections. The head office of Tokyo Onitsuka Co., Ltd. changed its name to Tokyo Branch.
1963 June In order to execute a change in par value of stock, Chuo Sangyo Co., Ltd. (established on May 27, 1943) merged Onitsuka Co., Ltd. changing its name to Onitsuka Co., Ltd.
1964 February Onitsuka Co., Ltd. was listed on the Kobe Securities Exchange.
April Onitsuka Co., Ltd. was listed on the second section of the Osaka Securities Exchange.
1969 April Tottori Onitsuka Co., Ltd. (later renamed San-in ASICS Industry Co., Ltd.) was established as a manufacturing plant for sports shoes.
1972 May Onitsuka Co., Ltd. was listed on the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
1974 June Onitsuka Co., Ltd.was relisted on the first section of both the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Securities Exchange.
1975 August Onitsuka Tiger Ltd.(later renamed to ASICS Deutschland GmbH) was established in Germany to enter the European market.
1977 July The company name was changed to ASICS Corporation. Through a merger with GTO Co., Ltd. and JELENK Co., Ltd., it took over seven sewing factories, Fukui, Takefu, Wakasa (later dissolved capital relationship), Yamaguchi (later liquidated), Kitakyushu, Omuta, and Miyazaki. JELENK U.S.A. Inc. (later renamed ASICS Sports of America Inc.) was also taken over.
1980 October Tottori ASICS Industry Corporation was established as a production factory of sports shoes (later renamed San-in ASICS Industry Corporation upon a merger of Tottori ASICS Industry Corporation, San-in ASICS Industry Corporation, and Shimane ASICS Industry Corporation) *Both San-in ASICS Industry Corporation and Shimane ASICS Industry Corporation are liquidated
1981 July By terminating the operations of ASICS Sports of America Inc., ASICS Tiger Corporation (later renamed ASICS America Corporation) was established as a new operation base to develop the American market.
1982 August ASICS Physical Distribution Corporation was established in order to streamline distribution costs.
1985 July The new headquarters building was constructed on Kobe Port Island transferring the main operations to the new premises.
November Institute of Sport Science was established in order to strengthen the scientific research base.
1986 July ASICS Tiger Oceania Pty. Ltd. (later renamed ASICS Oceania Pty. Ltd.) was established for market development in Australia.
1990 March ASICS France S.A. (later reorganized and renamed ASICS France S.A.S.) was established for market development in Europe.
April Construction of ASICS Research Institute of Sports Science and Human Resource Development Center (later renamed ASICS R&D Center) was completed in Kobe as a new center for research/development and human resource cultivation.
1991 May ASICS Benelux B.V. was established in the Netherlands in order to reinforce sales in Europe.
June ASICS Italia S.p.A was established for further reinforcement of sales in Europe.
1992 March ASICS UK Ltd. was established in Britain for further reinforcement of sales in Europe.
1994 September Jiang Su ASICS Co., Ltd. was established in China as a production factory for sports shoes and sports wear (Production of sports shoes were later transferred to affiliate factories.)
December ASICS Europe B.V. was established in the Netherlands, as an overall controlling company for Europe, and for further reinforcement of sales in Europe.
1997 July In order to rationalize the sales system in the Hokkaido and Chubu regions, the sales operations of both regions were consolidated at ASICS Hokkaido Sales Corporation (previously Asia Corporation) and ASICS Chubu Sales Corporation (previously Watamori Corporation).
1998 October In order to rationalize the manufacturing system, Miyazaki ASICS Industry Corporation absorbed Kitakyushu ASICS Industry Corporation and Omuta ASICS Industry Corporation, and changed the business name to ASICS Apparel Industry Corporation.
2000 December ASICS R&D Center acquired "ISO 14001 certification," which is an international standard of environmental management systems.
2001 October ASICS Hojinkan Corporation was established for the purpose of accelerating the procedures for decision making in the fitness-walking business and to accumulate knowledge in the retail business.
2002 March The Head Office acquired "ISO 14001 certification," which is an international standard of environmental management systems.
July ASICS Tohoku Sales Corporation was established in order to rationalize the sales system in the Tohoku region.
October ASICS Deporte Corporation was merged in order to conduct efficient operation of the school sports wear business.
2003 April ASICS Europe B.V. merged ASICS Benelux B.V. to further reinforce the sales system in Europe.
2005 April In order to rationalize our production system, Takefu ASICS Industry Corporation was absorbed into Fukui ASICS Industry Corp.
October Outdoor wear / Snowboard wear business and women's Sportstyle business of ASICS Almos Corporation (later liquidated) were transferred to ASICS U-BIQ Creation Inc. in order to rationalize Lifestyle Sports Apparel business.
December ASICS Taiwan Corporation was established to reinforce the sales system in Taiwan.
2006 January In order to reinforce the sales system in the Kyushu region, ASICS Kyushu Sales Corp. was established and the sales operations were consolidated.
February ASICS Shanghai Trading Co., Ltd. was established to reinforce the sales system in China.
April In order to reinforce our Japanese domestic sales system, ASICS Sports Being Corp. was absorbed into ASICS Hojinkan Corporation changing its name to ASICS Sports Being Corp..
2007 March Osaka Branch was transferred to Kansai Branch, our newly constructed premises built in Amagasaki City.
September ASICS Trading Co.,Ltd. and its subsidiaries,which were formally affiliates,were converted into consolidated subsidiaries,with the aims of enhancing marketing efficiency ,strengthening merchandising capabilities by separating the roles of our products,and increasing productivity.
November ASICS Kanetsu Sales Corporation and ASICS Chushikoku Sales Corporation were established in order to strengthen and rationalize the sales system in North Kanto and Chugoku-Shikoku regions.
2008 June ASICS Russia was established in Russia in order to strengthen the sales system in Eastern Europe.
2009 April OT Planning Corporation was established in order to strengthen of Onitsuka Tiger brand product planning.
July ASICS Sports Museum was opened as corporate museum.
August ASICS Scandinavia AS and its subsidiaries were converted into consolidated subsidiaries in order to strengthen the sales structure in Northern Europe.
2010 August Outdoor product company, HAGLÖFS HOLDING AB was converted into consolidated subsidiaries.
Distributor in Canada was converted into consolidated subsidiaries. In October, it changed its name to ASICS Canada Corporation.
2011 April ASICS HongKong Apparel Limited, which is in charge of development and production management of apparel products, was established in HongKong.
2012 May In order to reinforce Marketing in Asia, ASICS India Pvt. Ltd. was established in India and ASICS Asia Pte. Ltd. was established in Singapoore.
2013 January ASICS Japan Corporation and ASICS Sales Corporation, which is an integration of 7 sales subsidiaries in Japan, were established in order to separate Japan's domestic business from Global headquarters functions.
July ASICS Sports Mexico, S.A. de C.V. was established to reinforce the sales system in Mexico.
2014 January ASICS South Africa Pty. Ltd. was established to reinforce the sales system in South Africa.
2014 April ASICS Sourcing (Vietnam) Co.,Ltd., which is in charge of development and production management of sports shoes, was established in Vietnam.