Asics Opens Factory for Onitsuka Tiger Brand in Western Japan

By Miyu Hayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:13 JST, January 19, 2026

SAKAIMINATO, Tottori — Asics Corp. has opened a factory to serve its popular Onitsuka Tiger brand in Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture. With the new facility, the sportswear company aims to expand its share in the global market, leveraging Japan’s advanced techniques. Previously, the facility was used by Sanin Asics Industry Corp., an Asics subsidiary.

Opened on Jan.15, the production site, which has a total floor space of 9,830 square meters, will be the only factory in Japan that is fully dedicated to producing the Onitsuka Tiger line.

The Onitsuka Tiger brand was created in 1949 by the late Kihachiro Onitsuka, a Tottori City native. He started his business with basketball shoes, which were viewed as difficult to produce at the time, and he followed that up by developing shoes for marathoners and for a Japanese expedition to the Antarctic.

Onitsuka’s firm merged with other companies to form Asics in 1977. In 2002, Onitsuka Tiger was relaunched as an Asics brand. It now has more than 190 outlets, most of them overseas, including in Paris and Milan. There are plans for the brand to re-enter the U.S. market around 2027, having left the country in 2023.

At the factory’s reopening ceremony on Jan.15 in Sakaiminato, Asics chairman Yasuhito Hirota said, “The advanced techniques that have been fostered at Sanin Asics Industries for 56 years will be passed on to the new facility along with its highly skilled personnel.”

“I promise to make the facility a place for creating new value for future generations, delivering it to the world from Tottori,” he added.

A new product for the brand, whose design was overseen by actor Tomohisa Yamashita, an attendee at the ceremony, was also unveiled. It will be produced at the new facility and will be sold from March at the factory’s store, as well as on the brand’s website.

Besides the ceremony, there was also a press event showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship involved in cutting, sewing and processing materials for the shoes, both mechanically and by hand. Special processing techniques have also been introduced at the factory, including to achieve lacquer-like finishes and create a soft texture.

At the factory’s shop, visitors can purchase shoes and bags made on site. There are also displays of shoes that were made in the brand’s earlier days, among other items.