Top 100 business founders in the World No.62: Kihachiro Onitsuka- ASICS Corporation

02-12-2016

(Worldkings)Kihachiro Onitsuka (born 1927) was credited with founding the ASICS Corporation and building this company into a world brand. He headed as the chairman of the corporation since 1992 and kept this position until his death in 2007

Mr. Onitsuka was born on May 29, 1918, in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. Concerned at the sight of the nation’s youth after World War II, he made it his mission to inspire young people and chose the world of sports as a means to fulfill his goal.

In 1949, he started Onitsuka Co. Ltd., the first sports shoe company in Japan. Using many creative ideas, he released epoch-making products. In 1977, ASICS Corporation was formed through a merger of Onitsuka Co. Ltd, G.T.O. Co., an equipment manufacturer, and Jelenk Co., a sports apparel manufacturer. Mr. Onitsuka became the president and aimed to diversify the business to be more competitive on the global sporting goods market.

In 1992, he became chairman of ASICS Corporation, a position he held until his death. Today ASICS is the fifth largest sports goods manufacturer, making products not only for Olympic Gold medalists, but also ordinary people who do sports to keep up a healthy lifestyle.

Over the years, Mr. Onitsuka also held a number of public offices. He presided over the Japan Basketball Association as its president; he was the lifetime honorary president of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.

He received the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1988), Medal with Blue Ribbon (1974), and Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon (1978, 1983). In 2001, he received the Olympic Order.   


Le Thanh Minh- worldking.org (collecting)

 

towerWorldKings journeys
islandvilalage
WCSA
ASEAN BOOK OF RECORDSASIA BOOK OF RECORDS
CAMBODIA BOOK OF RECORDSWorld Records University
worldmark