Tomoko Oura
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1979, he grew up in Kobe until graduating from high school. After graduating from university, he has been living in Sao Paulo, Brazil since 2001. He is currently working as a freelance reporter and writer for local media outlets aimed at Japanese people, as well as engaged in editing work.
(Updated September 2023)
Stories from This Author
Part 13: MN Propolis: Committed to taste and health
May 2, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 13th episode, we spoke with Norihito Matsuda (86, Gunma Prefecture), CEO of MN Propolis. The company continues to manufacture and sell high-quality propolis and beekeeping products that have undergone highly accurate food analysis, and today accounts for approximately 50% of the propolis products exported from Brazil to foreign countries. Organic soy sauce and miso made using traditional Japanese methods, born from President Matsuda's insatiable curiosity, are also selling well, and orders for ramen noodles in particular are soaring. …
Part 12: Iguazu Coffee—Loved by Locals and the World
April 24, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 12th episode, we speak with Toshiki Matsui, president of Iguazu Coffee, known as one of Brazil's most proud coffee companies. Brazilian Coffee with a Connection to the Japanese The company was established in 1967 with joint investment from major plantation owners, including the late Kunihiro Miyamoto (born 1916, Oita Prefecture), a businessman, agricultural manager and first president of the company, who immigrated to Argentina in 1934 and ran a coffee processing and rice milling plant with his brother …
Part 11: Panamedical Sistema, a company founded by a man who left his post in Japan
April 12, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In this 11th installment, we spoke with Katsuhide Itagaki (75, Hokkaido), president of Panamedical Sistema. In Brazil, it is not uncommon for companies, large or small, to open one after another, only to close within a few years, or even within a year. Among its peers, Panamedical Sistema is not surprised by the "appearance and disappearance" of its competitors, and has been unearthing unknown Japanese technology in the medical field for 33 years, exploring what it can do for Brazilian …
Part 10: Kikkoman Brazil: Delivering Deliciousness Globally
March 29, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 10th episode, we spoke with Hideyuki Ozaki, President of Kikkoman Brazil Commerce and Industry Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kikkoman Brazil). The news that Kikkoman Brazil, a Brazilian subsidiary of Kikkoman Corporation, a leading Japanese soy sauce manufacturer, began selling honjozo soy sauce produced in Brazil in November 2021, is still fresh in our memory. The company's products, which are produced using soybeans and wheat as the main ingredients while maintaining traditional Japanese manufacturing methods and quality, have …
Part 9: NTT Limited: A global company
March 15, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the ninth episode, we spoke with Shinsuke Mizumori, Vice President of JMNC-LATAM at NTT Limited. The London-based company was established in 2019 through the merger of 31 companies, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data, and NTT Security. NTT has been active in Brazil for nearly half a century since opening its overseas office in Brasilia in 1974. Taking advantage of the services that NTT Communications has provided and the strengths of other companies, the company also provides global IT solution …
Part 8: BBBR Group Aiming to be the Only One
March 2, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the eighth installment, we spoke with Takamasa Kuratomi (40 years old, from Kanagawa Prefecture), president of the BBBR Group. He moved from Japan to Brazil in 2004 at the age of 21, and currently runs four companies. BBBR Group's four businesses ① BBBR Consulting : Consulting for JICA's ODA (Official Development Assistance) projects, providing business support to Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises in Brazil and helping to solve overseas issues through Japanese companies' technology. ② Latin Alimentos : Imports …
Part 7: Yamato Group's commitment to "Japanese flavors"
Feb. 2, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the seventh episode, we spoke with Honda Minami, director of Yamato Group (represented by Honda Soichiro). Today, the company offers food service services such as "Ramen Wa," a restaurant that is known to almost all Japanese people living in São Paulo, "Espasso Wa," a Japanese restaurant that offers a wide range of menu items from sushi and rice bowls to set meals and Japanese go-go curry, and "Wa Cake," a cafeteria that offers a variety of cakes and breads …
Part 6: Canon Brazil aims to create a society where everyone can live happily under the concept of "coexistence"
Jan. 19, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the sixth episode, we spoke with Shohei Korizawa, Senior Director of Canon Brazil. The company's office is located in a corporate building next to the Conceição metro station, a short distance from Paulista Avenue where many Japanese companies are based, and where many Japanese people live. In Brazil, in addition to selling Canon products such as cameras, multifunction copiers, and printers, the company is also focusing on selling solutions (methods for solving business problems) that incorporate the company's AI …
Part 5: Toyobo Brazil attracts attention with its biological pesticides
Dec. 1, 2023 • Tomoko Oura
In the fifth episode, we spoke with Yasuyoshi Fujii, President of Toyobo Brazil. In 1953, Japanese immigration to Brazil resumed in earnest. Two years later, in 1955, the company entered the Brazilian textile business. The company has expanded its business while making use of its strengths to adapt to the changing times, and today there are high hopes for a sustainable biological pesticide business derived from the technology of the textile business. Biological pesticide business has grown rapidly in the …
Part 4: Ajinomoto Brazil's penetration into the diet of ordinary people
Nov. 17, 2023 • Tomoko Oura
In the fourth installment, we spoke with Shigeo Nakamura, president of Ajinomoto Brazil. After the war, Japanese immigration to Brazil resumed in 1953, and Ajinomoto expanded into Brazil three years later. Throughout its 67 years in Brazil, Ajinomoto has supported the people's diet. The Little Ajinomoto Company Challenge "Little Ajinomoto" is the nickname given to Ajinomoto Brazil. It comes from the fact that among the overseas subsidiaries of the globally expanding Ajinomoto Group, Ajinomoto Brazil is the only one that …
