Onitsuka Tiger
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
ASICS-owned Japanese fashion sneaker brand.
Onitsuka Tiger can't show that the workers who make its products in Vietnam and India earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
Better-graded footwear
Graded higher than Onitsuka Tiger, selling the same kinds of things. Second-hand first.
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Onitsuka Tiger? Send a right of reply.
Compare Onitsuka Tiger with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (union rights breach, last recorded in 2025) has been put right.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listPublishes its supplier list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: leather
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From ASICS' supplier list, which covers Onitsuka Tiger and its sister brands. Onitsuka Tiger publishes no breakdown of its own, so the countries shown are the group's. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Cambodia | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Indonesia | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Publishes supplier list
- Modern slavery statement
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- Doesn't show where its leather comes from. Leather is linked to hazardous tannery work and forced labour on some cattle ranches, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Onitsuka Tiger shoes and clothing are made by ASICS's network of independent suppliers, which ASICS lists in a yearly factory list covering both brands, but no production shares are given. Its premium Nippon Made and The Onitsuka lines are made in Japan, now at an ASICS-owned factory in Tottori. ASICS scored 32/100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report, just above the 31.5 average, and has no published living wage target. In November 2025 ASICS helped secure reinstatement and compensation for a union leader jailed at its Cambodian supplier Wing Star Shoes.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Listed | Owner ASICS scored 32 out of 100 in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report (average 31.5), after 30 in 2024. View |
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Parent ASICS scored 45% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, above the 26% average. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Covered by ASICS's annual modern slavery statement; the 2025 statement reports 112 Tier 1 factories in over 20 countries but no living wage target. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Records the jailing of a union leader at ASICS supplier Wing Star Shoes and his reinstatement with record compensation in 2025. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | A Worker Rights Consortium investigation found ASICS supplier Wing Star Shoes in Cambodia had union leader Chea Chan jailed in 2024 on baseless charges to stop a new union; he was reinstated and compensated in November 2025 (WRC 2024, 2025). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesAfter 18 months of talks with the WRC, ASICS helped secure Chea Chan's reinstatement and US$50,000 compensation in November 2025, plus US$3,000 back pay in 2024. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Landmark redress for falsely imprisoned worker leader (Worker Rights Consortium, Nov 2025) · archived copy · Chea Chan, falsely jailed for forming a union at Wing Star, reinstated with US$50,000 compensation in Nov 2025; ASICS helped, belatedly
- ASICS - Good Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) · search the archive · 2026 Ethical Fashion Report: ASICS scored 32/100 (average 31.5); FTI 2023 45%
- Onitsuka Tiger opens first dedicated production facility (FashionNetwork, 2026) · search the archive · Tottori factory makes high-value footwear (Nippon Made, The Onitsuka leather shoes) and leather bags
- Asics Corporation opens own production site for Onitsuka Tiger (FashionUnited, 2025) · search the archive · Wholly owned Sanin Asics Industry to become dedicated Onitsuka Tiger factory, renamed Onitsuka Innovative Factory from January 2026
- Onitsuka Tiger (Emporium Melbourne) · search the archive · Onitsuka Tiger store at Emporium Melbourne
Published by Onitsuka Tiger or its owner
- Our Partnership Approach (ASICS) · search the archive · Annual global factory list covers suppliers making ASICS and Onitsuka Tiger products
- ASICS Modern Slavery Statement 2025 · search the archive · 112 Tier 1 factories in 2025 across 20+ countries, mainly Southeast Asia; no living wage targets
Company details
- Owned by
- ASICS Corporation
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Onitsuka Tiger ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/onitsuka-tiger, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Onitsuka Tiger.