How to Apply to Asics

10 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 13 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Apply through corp.asics.com/en/career and pick the right track: shinsotsu, chuto-saiyo, or regional
  • Most ASICS recruiting flows route through SAP SuccessFactors, especially in EMEA and Japan
  • Run, race, or play—authentic sport background is a real filter, not a soft preference
  • Japanese fluency is required for Kobe HQ roles; English is sufficient for regional offices
  • Know the Metaspeed story and the post-2023 elite-racing renaissance cold
  • Treat the Anima Sana In Corpore Sano ethos as substantive, not slogan
  • Onitsuka Tiger and ASICS performance are effectively separate brands—apply to the right one
  • Sustainability fluency is now a senior-round screening topic
  • Long-term commitment is expected, especially for Japan HQ roles

About Asics

ASICS Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7936) is a Japanese athletic footwear and apparel company headquartered in Kobe, Japan, with roughly 9,455 employees operating across 64 countries and a brand portfolio anchored by the ASICS performance line, the Onitsuka Tiger lifestyle brand, and ASICS Walking. The company traces its origins to 1949, when Kihachiro Onitsuka founded Onitsuka Co., Ltd. in war-flattened Kobe, hand-making basketball shoes in his small workshop with the explicit mission of giving local orphans and youth a healthy outlet through sport. That founding instinct—that products should serve human well-being, not the other way around—became the spine of everything that followed. Onitsuka Tiger track and marathon shoes were worn by Japanese Olympians through the 1950s and 1960s, and in 1977 Onitsuka merged with sportswear makers GTO and JELENK to form the modern ASICS Corporation. The name itself is the Latin acronym "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano"—a sound mind in a sound body—drawn from the Roman poet Juvenal, and unlike most corporate slogans this one actually drives product strategy, R&D priorities, and how leadership talks about success internally. ASICS posted record revenue of approximately ¥678.5 billion in FY2024, capping a multi-year stock surge driven by the global running boom, the resurgence of Onitsuka Tiger as a Gen-Z fashion brand, and the breakout success of the Metaspeed Sky and Metaspeed Edge elite carbon-plated racing shoes, used by Kelvin Kiptum to set the marathon world record of 2:00:35 in Chicago in October 2023. Core franchises include the Gel-Kayano stability runner, Gel-Nimbus cushioned daily trainer, GT-2000 do-everything shoe, Novablast, and the Metaspeed elite racing line. The company also sponsors high-profile athletes including tennis players Coco Gauff and Sara Errani, and is investing heavily in direct-to-consumer growth through the OneASICS membership program and the Runkeeper running app, which it acquired in 2016. ASICS' identity sits at the intersection of Japanese craftsmanship, biomechanical engineering, and authentic sport heritage.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Choose the right track: ASICS hires through three distinct pipelines

    Choose the right track: ASICS hires through three distinct pipelines—shinsotsu (new graduate, gongchae-style mass hiring for shinsotsu joining the following April), chuto-saiyo (mid-career experienced hire), and regional roles posted by ASICS America (Boston-area HQ in Irvine/Boston), ASICS Europe (Hoofddorp, Netherlands), and other subsidiaries. Identify which track fits and start at corp.asics.com/en/career.

  2. 2
    For Japan HQ shinsotsu: applications typically open in spring/early summer for g

    For Japan HQ shinsotsu: applications typically open in spring/early summer for graduates joining April of the following year. The schedule mirrors the Japanese gongchae norm with entry sheets, web aptitude testing (SPI or similar), and a multi-round interview cycle. Native or near-native Japanese is effectively required for HQ shinsotsu tracks.

  3. 3
    For experienced (chuto-saiyo) and global roles: Submit your application through

    For experienced (chuto-saiyo) and global roles: Submit your application through the ASICS careers portal, which routes to SAP SuccessFactors-based recruiting workflows for most regions. Upload a tailored resume—English for global roles, Japanese (rirekisho/shokumu-keirekisho format) for HQ roles—and complete the structured questionnaire including motivation statement.

  4. 4
    Online assessment or web test: Many roles include a web-based aptitude or domain

    Online assessment or web test: Many roles include a web-based aptitude or domain test (especially Japan), and some commercial/digital roles include a portfolio review or case study sent ahead of the first interview.

  5. 5
    First-round interview (1–2 rounds): Usually a hiring manager and a peer or HR pa

    First-round interview (1–2 rounds): Usually a hiring manager and a peer or HR partner. Expect questions about your relationship to running and sport, why ASICS specifically over Nike/Adidas/HOKA/On, and behavioral questions tied to ASICS values (integrity, teamwork, long-term thinking).

  6. 6
    Final-round interview: For Kobe HQ roles, this often involves senior leadership

    Final-round interview: For Kobe HQ roles, this often involves senior leadership and may require travel to Kobe (or a video equivalent). For regional offices, the final round typically includes a director or VP and a cross-functional peer panel. Discussions go deep on commercial judgment, sustainability literacy, and DTC/digital transformation thinking.

  7. 7
    Offer and onboarding: Offers are typically extended within 1–3 weeks of final ro

    Offer and onboarding: Offers are typically extended within 1–3 weeks of final round. For Japan HQ shinsotsu, offers are bundled in the standard April cohort; experienced offers are individualized. Relocation packages exist for Kobe HQ roles but are negotiated case-by-case, especially for non-Japanese hires.

Resume Tips for Asics

recommended

Lead with authentic running or sport background—real race times, weekly mileage,

Lead with authentic running or sport background—real race times, weekly mileage, coaching certifications, or a documented sport history land far better at ASICS than a generic 'passionate about fitness' line.

recommended

Demonstrate product literacy: specific knowledge of ASICS technologies (FlyteFoa

Demonstrate product literacy: specific knowledge of ASICS technologies (FlyteFoam, FlyteFoam Blast+, GEL cushioning, AHARPLUS rubber, Metaspeed carbon plate geometry, Trusstic system, GUIDESOLE) signals you have actually thought about the brand.

recommended

For Japan HQ roles, submit a Japanese-format rirekisho and shokumu-keirekisho wi

For Japan HQ roles, submit a Japanese-format rirekisho and shokumu-keirekisho with native or business-fluent Japanese; for global roles, lead with an English resume in regional format (US one-pager, Europe two-page CV).

recommended

Highlight retail, wholesale, or DTC experience for commercial and merchandising

Highlight retail, wholesale, or DTC experience for commercial and merchandising roles—ASICS is investing heavily in OneASICS membership and direct channel growth and wants people who understand both physical retail and app-driven engagement.

recommended

For product, design, and R&D roles: emphasize biomechanics, footwear engineering

For product, design, and R&D roles: emphasize biomechanics, footwear engineering, materials science, foot strike data, athlete testing protocols, or sustainability-driven materials work. Cite specific projects and outcomes.

recommended

Build sustainability fluency into your resume—ASICS has aggressive ESG goals (ca

Build sustainability fluency into your resume—ASICS has aggressive ESG goals (carbon-neutral targets, recycled material commitments, the Nimbus Mirai recycled-content release) and expects candidates to engage credibly with these topics.

recommended

Show willingness to relocate, especially to Kobe for HQ roles

Show willingness to relocate, especially to Kobe for HQ roles. Hiring teams notice when international candidates flag openness to a multi-year Japan posting.

recommended

For elite-racing-adjacent roles (sports marketing, athlete services, race operat

For elite-racing-adjacent roles (sports marketing, athlete services, race operations), include marathon/triathlon/track involvement, race director experience, or athlete-facing work. The Metaspeed era has raised the bar.

ATS System: SAP SuccessFactors

ASICS uses SAP SuccessFactors as its primary applicant tracking and recruiting platform across most regions, including EMEA and Japan corporate hiring flows. SuccessFactors handles the structured application form, candidate profile creation, recruiter routing, and interview scheduling. Some regional subsidiaries (notably ASICS America) may layer additional regional recruiting tools on top, but the core record-of-truth for global ASICS recruiting sits inside SuccessFactors. Expect a standard SAP-style application experience: account creation, multi-step form, file uploads, and structured screening questions.

  • Create your SuccessFactors account early and use a stable personal email—you will receive interview scheduling and offer correspondence here.
  • Tailor every application: SuccessFactors stores your full application history and recruiters can see whether you reused a generic cover letter across multiple ASICS roles.
  • Use clean, ATS-readable formatting (single-column resume, standard fonts, no tables or text boxes); SuccessFactors parses fields into the candidate profile and broken parsing hurts your discoverability.
  • Complete every optional field, especially language proficiency and willingness-to-relocate, since recruiters filter on these.
  • For Japan HQ roles, upload both an English resume and a Japanese rirekisho/shokumu-keirekisho if the posting permits attachments.
  • Set up job alerts inside the portal—ASICS posts in waves and the right role often appears 2–3 weeks after you start looking.

Complete SAP SuccessFactors Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Interview culture at ASICS varies significantly between Kobe HQ and regional offices, and reading the room correctly is half the battle.

At Kobe HQ, expect Japanese corporate formality: punctuality is non-negotiable, business-card etiquette (meishi koukan) matters, you bow rather than shake, and interviewers expect humility and group-orientation rather than American-style self-promotion. The pace is deliberate, decisions involve consensus (nemawashi), and an offer carries an implicit expectation of long-term commitment—Japanese tenure norms remain strong at ASICS, and signaling that you treat this as a stepping-stone will hurt you. Interviewers will probe your understanding of and respect for the 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano' founding ethos; this is not corporate window-dressing at ASICS, it is the literal lens through which product, marketing, and HR decisions are evaluated. Be ready to articulate, in your own words, what 'a sound mind in a sound body' means for the role you are interviewing for. There is also an unspoken expectation that you actually run, walk, play tennis, or otherwise live the brand—candidates who cannot speak credibly about their own sport practice often stall here. Regional offices (ASICS America in the Boston area, ASICS Europe in Hoofddorp, ASICS Oceania in Australia) run on a more familiar Western tempo: faster decisions, more individual storytelling, more direct questions about commercial impact and growth metrics. Across all geographies, three topics now dominate senior-round conversations: (1) the Metaspeed-driven elite-racing renaissance and what it means for brand strategy—you should know who Kelvin Kiptum was, what the Metaspeed Sky+ and Edge+ are, and where the carbon-plate arms race is heading; (2) the DTC and digital transformation, including OneASICS, Runkeeper, and the shift in wholesale economics; and (3) sustainability, where ASICS has staked out an aggressive position and expects candidates to engage substantively. Surface answers will not survive a final round.

What Asics Looks For

  • Authentic personal connection to running, walking, tennis, or another sport ASICS serves—lived experience beats credentials here.
  • Technical product depth: biomechanics, footwear engineering, midsole foam chemistry, or carbon-plate geometry for product roles; merchandising and assortment math for commercial roles.
  • Japanese language fluency for Kobe HQ roles; business-level English for global and regional positions.
  • Retail, DTC, or app/membership experience for commercial, digital, and consumer-facing teams—OneASICS is a strategic priority.
  • Biomechanics, sports science, or industrial design background for innovation, R&D, and Sports Engineering roles based at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS) in Kobe.
  • Sustainability and circular-economy literacy—materials, recycling, supply chain decarbonization, and lifecycle thinking.
  • Willingness to relocate to Kobe (or to a regional hub) and to commit for the long term, particularly for HQ tracks.
  • Cultural humility and consensus-building skills for HQ roles; commercial directness and growth orientation for regional roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ASICS pay in Japan vs the US and Europe?
Japan HQ shinsotsu (new graduate) salaries at ASICS land in the typical Japanese sportswear band of roughly ¥5–8 million for entry-level white-collar roles, rising to ¥10–15 million for experienced specialists and managers, with bonuses tied to company performance—the recent record FY2024 results lifted variable pay meaningfully. ASICS America (Boston-area) pays the regional US sportswear market and is broadly competitive with HOKA, Brooks, and New Balance on base, though equity is not a major lever the way it is at Nike. ASICS Europe (Hoofddorp, Netherlands) follows Dutch market norms with strong benefits but more compressed salary bands than the US. Senior commercial and product leadership roles negotiate individually, and long-tenure Japanese HQ employees often out-earn equivalent regional peers when total comp is summed across decades.
Do I really have to relocate to Kobe to work at ASICS HQ?
For most genuine HQ roles, yes. Kobe is the operational center of the company—product, R&D at the Institute of Sport Science, finance, and most senior strategy seats are physically based there. Some global functions (digital, athlete marketing, certain executive roles) operate out of Tokyo or are split with Boston/Hoofddorp, but if you are interviewing for a true HQ position, expect to live in Kobe. Relocation support exists and ASICS is a notably good employer for international hires by Japanese standards, but the city itself is a real factor: Kobe is smaller and quieter than Tokyo or Osaka, the international community is modest, and English-only living is workable but constrains your career and social life over time. Be honest with yourself about a 5–10 year commitment before accepting.
Does ASICS hire foreign nationals for Japan HQ roles?
Yes, increasingly so for global business, digital, marketing, sustainability, and athlete-facing roles where international perspective is a clear asset. ASICS has been deliberate about internationalizing its leadership bench since the 2017–2019 turnaround period and continues that push under current leadership. That said, the Japanese-language bar for HQ roles is real: you will be in meetings, reading internal documents, and navigating consensus processes in Japanese. JLPT N2 is a workable floor for most cross-functional roles; N1 or native is expected for finance, legal, HR, and most product roles. English-only foreign hires are typically routed to global-facing functions or to regional subsidiaries rather than to Kobe HQ.
Are Onitsuka Tiger and ASICS performance the same hiring track?
No—and treating them as the same brand in an interview is a tell that you have not done your homework. Onitsuka Tiger is a fashion-forward lifestyle brand sold through its own boutique footprint (Ginza, Aoyama, Soho, Covent Garden) with its own creative direction, merchandising, and retail organization. ASICS performance is the technical sport business: running, tennis, basketball, training, and the Sports Style sub-line. They share corporate infrastructure, supply chain, and ownership, but the people, the product calendars, the customer, and the hiring criteria are distinct. Apply to the brand whose work you actually want to do, and in your interview reference the right competitive set—Onitsuka competes with Puma Suede, adidas Originals, and New Balance lifestyle; ASICS performance competes with Nike, HOKA, Brooks, On, and Saucony.
How has the recent stock surge affected hiring and bonuses?
Materially, on both fronts. ASICS' multi-year share-price run, anchored by the running boom and the Metaspeed halo, has expanded headcount budgets across innovation, athlete services, DTC, and digital. Variable compensation tied to company performance has been notably strong in FY2023 and FY2024, and the company has been more aggressive in courting senior talent from competitor brands. That said, ASICS is still a Japanese company with conservative comp philosophy: the upside shows up in stable employment, generous benefits, training, and bonus rather than in the equity grants you would see at a US sportswear competitor. Candidates expecting Nike-style stock packages will be disappointed; candidates valuing long-term stability and craft will see the offer as strong.
Can I move from a regional office to Kobe HQ (or vice versa)?
Yes, and this is an increasingly visible career path at ASICS as the company globalizes. Internal mobility programs exist for high performers in regional subsidiaries to take rotations or permanent posts in Kobe, particularly in product, brand marketing, and global category management. The reverse path—Kobe HQ to a regional office—is also actively used to season Japanese leadership in international markets. The catch is that mobility is sponsored, not self-service: you need a senior advocate, demonstrated language readiness (Japanese for inbound, English for outbound), and typically 3–5 years of strong performance in your current seat before a move materializes. Bring this up in interviews if it is part of your career thesis—ASICS responds well to candidates with credible long-term plans.
Why do candidates turn down ASICS offers?
Three recurring reasons. First, base-comp delta against Nike, adidas, and the larger US sportswear players, particularly at senior commercial levels where equity is the deciding factor. Second, the Kobe relocation requirement: even with strong relocation support, many international candidates ultimately decide a multi-year Japan posting does not fit family or partner-career situations. Third, the perceived pace: ASICS is genuinely thoughtful and consensus-driven, which some candidates from US tech-sportswear environments (Nike Digital, Lululemon, On) read as slow. Candidates who value craft, long-term thinking, and authentic brand heritage tend to accept; candidates optimizing for next-promotion velocity tend to decline. The company has gotten more competitive on offer construction since 2023 but is unlikely to win bidding wars on cash alone.
What kills an ASICS interview?
The single most common failure mode is inability to articulate why ASICS specifically, beyond 'I love running shoes.' If you cannot name a specific ASICS product you have used, a technology you find interesting, or an athlete or moment in the brand's history that resonates with you, the interview is functionally over. The second killer is treating sport as theoretical: not running, not playing, not engaging with the world the brand serves, and trying to compensate with marketing language. The third is misreading the cultural register—being too aggressive or self-promotional in a Kobe HQ interview, or being too deferential and indirect in a regional office final round. Finally, candidates who cannot engage substantively on sustainability and DTC strategy stall in senior rounds. Read the integrated report, run a few miles, and form a real point of view.
Is the Boston-area ASICS America office a different culture from Kobe?
Yes—substantively different in pace and norms, though the underlying brand values are shared. ASICS America is headquartered in the Boston metropolitan area (with operations also in Irvine, California historically), embedded in the running heartland of the US thanks to the Boston Marathon and a deep cluster of running specialty retailers. The culture is closer to a US sportswear company: faster decisions, flatter hierarchy, more direct feedback, more individual ownership of P&L. Career mobility is more transactional and tenure expectations shorter. You will still hear 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano' invoked, but the operational tempo is set by US retail calendars and US athlete partnerships. Candidates who want the brand without the Japan relocation often target ASICS America.
How important is the Metaspeed and elite-racing knowledge in interviews?
More important than candidates expect, even for non-product roles. The Metaspeed Sky+ and Metaspeed Edge+ (and their successors) reset ASICS' position in elite marathon racing after a decade where Nike's Vaporfly franchise dominated the conversation. Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 Chicago marathon in October 2023, run in Metaspeed Sky+, is a brand-defining moment internally and externally. Interviewers across product, marketing, commercial, and digital tracks will probe whether you understand what carbon-plated supershoes are, why elite racing matters as a halo for the broader running line, and how the Metaspeed story shows up in OneASICS engagement and DTC growth. You do not need to be a biomechanist, but you should be conversant—read a few articles, watch a major-marathon broadcast, and form a view.

Open Positions

Asics currently has 13 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 13 open positions at Asics

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