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Sports Shoes 2004 |
| A : | I believe that there are two types of sports shoes: not only those for actually
doing sports, but also those that can be worn as casual shoes. |
| B : | Exactly. So when we say “sports shoes” here, let’s keep in
mind that we are referring to both sports-specific shoes and canvas shoes, for
convenience. |
| A : | Why do you define “sports shoes” like that here? |
| B : | Because it's difficult to define what sports shoes are, since in the market
statistics, shoes are classified based on materials used for their instep. |
| A : | When did sport shoes become so popular among Japanese consumers? |
| B : | Nowadays, light sports are essential in the daily life of ordinary people
to maintain good health. In the latter half of the 1970s, when jogging was introduced
from the United States, sports shoes began to attract a lot of attention. In the
subsequent fitness boom, many people have come to regularly wear sports shoes
not only for competitive sports, but also as town shoes. Sports shoes have now
fully taken root in people’s daily lives. |
| A : | In Japan, some shoes manufacturers such as Secaicho Corporation and Moonstar
Chemical Corporation have been producing sports shoes for a long time. |
| B : | Yes. In the past, however, these companies manufactured only simple shoes
that school students wore when doing training and going to school. |
| A : | However, even at that time, shoes were available for professional sports athletes
to use in competitions. |
| B : | Most of these shoes were supplied by German manufacturers, such as Adidas
and Puma. Although the United States also had sports shoes manufacturers, they
were then still almost unknown, compared to those two German companies. In Japan,
too, Onitsuka Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of the present Asics Corporation) produced
sports shoes for athletes under the brand name “TIGER,” and the quality
of these shoes earned a high reputation, comparable to that of the two German
companies, among professional athletes in various countries. Sadly, however, since
the “TIGER” brand name was not widely known, these shoes did not sell
well. Also in the United States there were various sports shoes manufacturers,
including Converse. However, their products then still needed to be improved in
terms of scientific and functional aspects, as shoes for professional use. |
| A : | But I have heard that the United States has sustained the trend in sports
shoes around the world. |
| B : | Yes, it has. In the 1970s when new sports became popular in the United States,
basket shoes, jogging shoes, aerobic shoes, cross-training shoes and other various
types of sports shoes were created and developed one after another. As well, the
sports shoes market in Japan was compelled to shrink, due to sluggish personal
consumption and oversupply after the bursting of the bubble economy. In the autumn
of 1995, a U.S. company, Nike Inc. released its “Air Max” running shoes,
which attained success great enough to be called a social phenomenon, as street
shoes for middle-aged and older people. This provided an opportunity to reinvigorate
the Japanese sports shoes market, and its size was estimated to have grown to
a record high of 163 billion yen in 1997, according to the “White Paper on
Leisure.” However, after the boom ended, the market began to suffer from
overstocking and decline in shop prices, and it is said that the market scale
was reduced to 140 billion yen in 2001. Although wearing sports shoes during commuting
and changing into leather shoes at work became popular in the United States, and
the same phenomenon occurred in Japan, it was just a passing fad. Afterwards,
roller shoes, i.e., children’s sports shoes with retractable wheels in their
soles, hit the market, but that boom is already over. |
| A : | What about the imports of sports shoes and canvas shoes? |
| B : | Import figures are as shown below.
Unit: 1 million yen Source: Japan Trade Monthly Both sports shoes and canvas shoes are mostly imported from Asian countries. This is because not only Japanese manufacturers but also famous European and American international brand companies have established production systems making use of cheap labor in Asian countries. In recent years, China has served as the biggest supply source for these two types of shoes. (1) Major sports shoes import partners
Unit: 1,000 pairs of shoes Source: Japan Trade Monthly (2) Major canvas shoes import partners
Unit: 1,000 pairs of shoes Source: Japan Trade Monthly Regarding both sports and canvas shoes, China is the largest import partner for Japan. However, we can see that China’s share has decreased year by year; instead, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand have increased their shares. |
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| A : | What about the share of imports in the domestic market? |
| B : | Since in the market statistics, shoes are just classified into leather shoes
and cloth shoes, there is no public reference material available regarding sports
shoes, and thus their import share is not clear. However, most sports shoes, excluding
some spiked shoes for athletic sports and soccer shoes, are imported, and their
import share is estimated at more than 80%. |
| A : | Are there any points to note in particular regarding regulations and procedures
when sports shoes are imported? |
| B : | In principle, there are no regulations. Note, however, that importation of
fake or counterfeit brand-name products is prohibited by the Customs Tariff Law,
as infringements of intellectual property rights, such as trademark rights and
design rights. These counterfeits are stopped at customs, to be seized and disposed
of. As for footwear with insteps made of leather, or whose outsole and part of
the instep are made of leather, and which are not regarded as sports shoes or
exercise shoes, the tariff quota system is applied. |
| A : | Are there any characteristics of sports shoes according to the countries where
they are produced? |
| B : | There are almost no such characteristics. This is because producing counties
do not independently manufacture these products, but they are produced by major
brand-name companies at their local facilities overseas. However, if comparing
a product in the same category, the shoes produced in South Korea and Taiwan require
relatively high levels of technique, whereas those produced in China and Indonesia
are often simpler in form and can be produced with relatively easy technique.
Products manufactured in Europe and the United States are high-class goods. |
| A : | What is your opinion on the future of sport shoes manufacturing? |
| B : | I guess that there will be many more footwear models that fit well for Japanese
people, as well as highly breathable, cushioned models. Also, shoes consultation
services will be further introduced, to provide advice on shoes suitable for individuals,
using computers to measure the foot dimensions of each person. In short, shoes
products are increasingly going high-tech and multifunctional, leading to more
and more diverse and fashionable shoes in the market. |
| A : | “Scientific shoes,” so to speak. |
| B : | Right. A good example is the case of the marathon shoes worn by Ms. Mizuki
Noguchi, the Japanese gold medallist in the women's marathon in the Athens Olympic
Games held in August this year. Her shoes were specifically designed to ensure
smooth and safe running on a slippery road surface, by a shoe specialist of Asics
Corporation, Japan. The shoes are lightweight and their soles were made of sponge
mixed with rice hull. I think that in the future, more and more shoes incorporating
such science and technologies will be released in the market. |
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