In the 19th installment of this series, we spoke with Akira Komiya (66, Kanagawa Prefecture), one of the co-owners of Tunibra IMG. In 2020, due to the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian Tunibra travel agency, which had a history of about 70 years, closed, sending a huge shock wave through the Japanese community. At that time, Tunibra IMG took over the business of the department that provided proxy services for obtaining residence permits for Japanese expatriates and others, and was established as a new company. Tunibra IMG supports Japanese companies in Brazil by providing support for the procedures for obtaining residence permits, which is the first practical challenge for Japanese expatriates when they are posted to Brazil, and helps them arrive in Brazil with peace of mind.
I was fascinated by the warmth of Brazilian people
Komiya studied abroad in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil for a year as a student, and has now lived in Brazil for a total of about 35 years, traveling back and forth between Japan and Brazil several times. "It really is human relationships," he reflected, revealing that he was charmed by the friendliness and kindness of the Brazilian family who was his host family during his first study abroad, and that is what made him want to live there.
The year after I returned home after a year of studying abroad, a professor at my university approached me saying, "A petrochemical complex has been built in Camacari, Bahia, and a major Japanese chemical manufacturer has moved in, resulting in an increase in the number of expatriates and their families in the state capital, Salvador.We are urgently looking for teachers to set up a Japanese supplementary school to educate the children of these expatriates.Would you like to apply?"
He applied, passed the selection test, and ended up working as a temporary teacher in Salvador for two years. "At that time, there were about 12 students, from first grade of elementary school to third grade of junior high school, and they were all well-behaved kids, and I had a lot of fun. They're all in their 50s now, and some of them may have come to Brazil," he recalls, reminiscing about those days.
Even after that, he could not let go of his desire to go to Brazil, and after returning to Japan from Salvador, he got a job at the Tunibra travel agency in Japan, and was soon transferred to São Paulo. He worked there for five years, during which he learned the work related to the work permit process, which is directly related to his current work. After that, he returned to Japan, left Tunibra, and moved to a Japanese company with a local subsidiary in Brazil, and was posted to Brazil again in 1999.
When the case of returning to Japan came up in 2005, I happened to be asked by the president of Tunibra Travel Agency, who was looking for a successor to the sales director who was about to retire, to come and take over the position, and I immediately accepted the invitation.
Residence permit agency service with half a century of experience and proven track record
Although TUNIBRA Travel Agency in Brazil closed in 2020, the company had over 70 years of experience and a proven track record, and had been handling residence permit acquisition services for expatriates for nearly 50 years. Not wanting to waste the trust and know-how it had built up with its customers, Komiya received permission from the then-president to establish a new company to take over the business and to use the TUNIBRA name, and launched TUNIBRA IMG together with attorney Kasia Higaki, who was his subordinate at the time.
The company's strengths are "100% Japanese-speaking," "staff with Brazilian lawyer qualifications," and "close network with Tunibra Japan." With thorough information exchange and a complete support system, the company is able to respond quickly.
In order for expatriates to be posted to Brazil, they must obtain the appropriate visa from Japan. To do so, they must first obtain permission from the Ministry of Justice, and our main job is to obtain this permission on behalf of various people, including investors, employees, trainees, engineers, religious leaders, and professional athletes.
When you come to Brazil, you must first register as a foreigner at the Federal Police and be issued a Foreigner Registration Card (CRNM), so we support you with that procedure. We also provide support with Personal Taxpayer Registration Number (CPF), Driver's License (CNH), etc.
The company also handles the visa application procedures required for Brazilians working for Japanese companies to travel abroad on business.
Other services include extending the period of stay and switching from short-term to long-term stays.
"We hope to be able to make even a small contribution to Japanese companies entering the market through services such as assistance with residence permit procedures," says the company, which will mark 40 years in the making as it works to build a bridge between Japan and Brazil.
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Overview of TSUNIBRA IMG |
*This article is reprinted from the Brazil Nippo (January 6, 2024).
© 2024 Tomoko Oura
