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NEW YORK - Kihachiro Onitsuka, a pioneer of the modern athletic world, died Sept. 29 from heart failure while in a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was 89.
In 1977, Onitsuka orchestrated a merger of his own athletic footwear firm Onitsuka Co. with two other companies, creating Asics. He served as president of the company until 1992, when he took on the role of chairman. Onitsuka served in that position until his death, participating in monthly company meetings in Japan, said Seiho Gohashi, CEO and chairman of Asics America, in an interview. "He was a symbol of our company."
Born May 29, 1918, in western Japan, Onitsuka spent his early years in the military, said...