What Kihachiro Onitsuka hoped to accomplish by incorporating Onitsuka Co., Ltd. (the predecessor to ASICS) in 1949 was to take part in the rebuilding process of Japan by bringing up healthy youngsters with sports. Since then, Onitsuka has always been conscious of the way the company must operate in conjunction with society in general and incorporated the idea in its business activities. Here is what Onitsuka, currently holding the office of chairman, had to say to young employees about the origin of ASICS' CSR.

＜Participants＞
Kihachiro Onitsuka
Chairman
Shouhei Kouya
Sales Team, Area Sports Sales Department, Kansai Branch
Keiko Takayama
Sports Style Team, Sports Style Products Planning and Development Department, Footwear Division
Yuko Naka　
Sales Team, Asics U-BIQ Creation Inc. Kansai Branch
Seigo Nakaya
Function Development Team, Institute of Sport Science
Shin Mononobe　
Running Team, Athletic Products Planning and Development Department, Footwear Division
Kazunori Morihisa
Human Resources Team, Personnel and General Affairs Department, Administration Division

Onitsuka　Now that you all have a year of experience behind you, I think you are well motivated to undertake bigger responsibilities. Tell me what you’re thinking about when you do your work.
Nakaya　I do research, development, and evaluation of sports shoes construction. Among the products with which I have been involved, the GT2000 series stands out because we sold more than three million pairs of them worldwide. It really gives me confidence to see it being so popular among customers throughout the world.

Onitsuka　It is an important part of globalization to develop products that match the needs of customers throughout the world. I do hope that you would visit different countries to hear the comments of top athletes and general consumers.
　Another important thing is to listen to expert opinions from different fields. Collaboration with academic institutions is an important part of developing quality products.

Morihisa　It was a surprise for me to be placed in the Human Resources & General Affairs Department as I was hoping to do marketing. However, after spending a year working here, I come to think of human resources management as a kind of marketing within the company, as it lays the foundation for everybody to show what he or she has really got. It is a difficult job but I also think it is a rewarding job with many challenges.

Onitsuka　People often outperform general expectations if and when they find a field where they are comfortable and are prepared to do the best they can. By finding the right job for everybody, the company will gain more power and will be energized.
　In 1959, on the tenth anniversary of foundation, I distributed 70% of the shares I had in ASICS to all employees out of the belief that the company is a public entity. That means everybody became a shareholder. That gave everybody extra motivation to work hard and build the foundation for today's prosperity. Likewise, I hope you try to think of the happiness of everybody concerned with ASICS and work hard. That is how you will succeed in your life.

Takayama　My responsibility covers a wide area of shoe project planning, making decisions on the design, materials, sewing methods, and issuing production orders. Since my actions and decisions affect a lot of people throughout the world, I am feeling the weight of my responsibility everyday in my job.
Onitsuka　Since ASICS is a global corporation, any decision an employee makes will propagate through the channels of planning and development, procurement, production, and marketing and reach every corner of the world. It is scary sometimes, but it is also an opportunity to fulfill oneself at a higher level.
　Take the color of a product, for example. We are studying which color would best suit a certain group of people or an individual and plays a part in exerting the best performance. I suggest you undertake the challenge of incorporating those findings in our products.
Mononobe　I am involved in product design. Right now, I am working hard to create my own design while feeling the weight of my responsibility to ASICS. I hope to attract new fans without betraying the expectations of existing fans and add new value to the brand.
Onitsuka　Whether it be in sports or daily life when a new style evolves, there is always a potential need for new types of shoes. To discover the needs and create a unique product, you certainly have to work hard. However, creating a product that makes people say "these are the shoes I wanted" is a pleasure available only to a designer. You have to look at the essence our business has preserved.

Naka　I am handling the sales to department stores. I think my job is to communicate with customers while respecting the sentiments of the people involved in the development, production, and distribution behind the products. That is why the smiles of customers always make me proud that I am a member of ASICS.
Onitsuka　One of the values I cherish in my life is to make good use of people. Now, I want to advise you how to enhance the skills of salespeople and attendants from ASICS working behind the counter. I want those people to be able to listen to customers and come up with the right proposal. Putting people to good use and employee training are two sides of a coin. We can expect to expand our business only if we can satisfy customers with services that are not available from competitors.
Kouya　I also feel my job is very rewarding when I can make a customer happy with a sales plan or promotional materials I proposed based on the strengths and characteristics I learned from experience.
Onitsuka　A long time ago, when I visited a sports shop, the owner said to me "there are basketball players at a nearby school who specifically ask for your shoes." Shops can be happy only if products sell well and we can stay in business only if shops sell our products. Here, note that the role of a salesperson is to sense what shops and consumers want and present products suitable for the shops in a way that shop owners can understand.

Mononobe　I am really impressed by what the Chairman has told us. Incidentally, what do you expect us, the successors of Onitsuka-ism, to do to fulfill the responsibilities of the company to society?
Onitsuka　When I founded the company soon after the war, we did not have enough things to sustain our lives well food, clothing, or housing, everything was limited. Today, maybe because we have everything, we find some people who are not willing to work anymore. I think there is something wrong with that. We have to go back to the ASICS where everybody who can work has to share the responsibilities. If we could help everybody, not just juveniles, to learn sportsmanship and the spirit of fair play, I think our activities will be more meaningful.
Takayama　I think you have gone through a variety of decision-making experiences. Tell us what was the guiding philosophy in making those decisions?
Onitsuka　Come to think of it, I have to say that my life was filled with risky decisions with several crises and a triangular merger. Every time I faced a difficult decision, there were people around me offering help. It all boils down to disregarding personal gains and simply trying to live together with others.
　Let me emphasize again that our company is a public entity. I really hope one of you will lead the company, provided of course that you are qualified for the job. If that happens, I hope you would tell younger staff what the founder, Onitsuka, had to say about the business. Thank you everyone for joining us today and I expect the future to be bright for all of you.