Asics is set to spin off its Onitsuka Tiger business after several years of global growth.

On Wednesday, the Japanese athletic company disclosed that its board of directors voted to spin off the nearly 80-year-old Onitsuka Tiger brand into OT Group Corp., a new wholly owned subsidiary of Asics Corp., through an absorption-type company split, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

As far as how the split will work, Asics noted that it will spin off the Onitsuka Tiger business operated by the company, and its regional business entities in each country. In tandem, it will reorganize the structure so that OT Group will serve as the global headquarters for the Onitsuka Tiger business, with subsidiaries under its umbrella responsible for functions such as sales and manufacturing.

Asics will continue to be led by president and chief operating officer Mitsuyuki Tominaga and will remain headquartered in Kobe, Japan, the company said. The new OT Group will be led by president and chief executive officer Ryoji Shoda, who currently serves as the brand head. OT Group will be headquartered in Tokyo.

The move comes after Asics noted that its Onitsuka Tiger business has experienced accelerated growth in recent years, driven by the expansion of its geographic footprint and increased brand recognition.

Under the internal company system, the business has promoted initiatives centered on the expansion of directly operated stores and has worked to establish its position as a “luxury lifestyle brand.” This could be seen through recent collaborations with the likes of Versace and Patou.

Now, through this reorganization, the company will transition the Onitsuka Tiger business to a more “independent operating structure,” Asics noted.

“This is expected to enable faster decision-making and enhance the creation of competitiveness tailored to the brand’s unique characteristics,” the company said in a statement. “In addition, across the Asics Group as a whole, the company will strengthen its governance framework while enhancing the visibility of business performance by segment and clarifying management accountability.”

Through these measures, the company added that it aims to “further enhance the brand value of Onitsuka Tiger, achieve sustainable business growth, and increase the overall corporate value of the Asics Group.”

Onitsuka Tiger was founded in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, net sales for Onitsuka Tiger grew 33.8 percent to 37.8 billion yen (approximately $240 million), up from 28.3 billion yen (approximately $180 million), the prior year period.

In fiscal 2025, sales of the brand jumped 43 percent from a year earlier to 136.5 billion yen (approximately $850 million), buoyed by strong demand in Europe, inbound tourism to Japan and a weaker yen.