Eiko Kirino Named President of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.

Eiko Kirino has been named President of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., effective July 1 — succeeding Tatsuro Kawaguchi, who departs after leading North American operations since 2024 and a tenure that closed with Kawasaki claiming No. 1 motorcycle market share in the U.S. in 2025.

Eiko Kirino’s 30 Years at Kawasaki

Kirino’s career path through Kawasaki is unusually broad for the role she’s stepping into. She started at Kawasaki France, focused on sales, market development, and racing. She returned to Japan to lead European sales for the entire continent, then moved into product planning for performance models — including the Ninja H2, the supercharged hypersport that redefined what a production Kawasaki could be. From there, she became General Manager of global marketing, then President of Kawasaki Motors Japan, leading domestic sales in Japan, then leader of global corporate communications and external affairs before arriving at Kawasaki USA.

Eiko Kirino is also a motorcycle rider and enthusiast, which matters in a role that requires an authentic connection to the dealer network and rider community that drives Kawasaki USA’s business. She will oversee all Powersports and General Purpose Engine operations for the North American market.

A Handoff at a High Point

Kawaguchi joined Kawasaki USA in 2022 and has led North American operations since 2024. Under his watch, Kawasaki reached No. 1 motorcycle market share in the U.S. in 2025 — the performance benchmark that Eiko Kirino now inherits as the starting point rather than the goal. He returns to Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. in Japan.

The appointment arrives as Kawasaki marks its 60th year in the United States. Kirino called the U.S. Kawasaki’s most important market and described the role as both a professional milestone and a personal one — a rider who has spent three decades working inside the company that makes the machines she rides, now running the organization’s most significant single market.

What Eiko Kirino brings to the Kawasaki USA role is an unusual combination: product-planning credentials on the Ninja H2, country-level leadership as President of Kawasaki Motors Japan, and a rider’s actual relationship with the product. The brief now is to grow from the No. 1 position rather than build toward it — a different challenge than the one her predecessor faced. How she approaches that at Kawasaki USA, 60 years into the company’s presence in North America, is worth watching.

About The Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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