This series is an extension of the earlier Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Magnetic Recording that had been held successfully in 1990-1995 in Japan and Korea alternatively.

The 1st ASIST was held at the Akita Research Institute of Advanced Technology, Akita, Japan in November 1996.

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th ASIST were then respectively held at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon, Korea in November 1997, hosted by the Data Storage Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore in February 1999, and held at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan in November 1999