The company was founded in 1917 as a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and the B.F. Goodrich Company. Its first own factory opened in 1920 in Hiranuma, a district of Yokohama. This facility was destroyed during an earthquake in 1923 and rebuilt in Tsurumi-ku by 1929. Until 1937, the tires were sold under the Goodrich name; since then, they have been called Yokohama. In the 1940s, the company expanded rapidly; alongside new factories in Japan, it also acquired facilities in China, Shanghai, and Singapore. In 1969, the company expanded into the USA as the Yokohama Tire Company. In 1981, Goodrich sold its stake in Yokohama.

In 2016, the company acquired the agricultural, forestry, and industrial tire manufacturer Alliance Tire Group. In 2022, Yokohama acquired the 6,600-employee tire division of Trelleborg Wheel Systems, including the brands Mitas, Maximo, Cultor, and Interfit.