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 26—Kojiro Publishing, a Publisher of Free Papers
March 7, 2025 • Tomoko Oura
For the 26th installment of this series, we spoke with Naosa Fuse (59), editor-in-chief of Kojiro Publishing (represented by Ryuichiro Kawarazaki). The monthly magazine “Pindorama” published by the company is a free paper that regularly publishes information about Brazil in Japanese, and has been recognized as one of the world's leading Japanese free papers in a Japanese survey. Since its launch in 2006, it has been loved by Japanese expatriates living in Brazil and Japanese-Brazilians who can read Japanese, as …
Part 25: Sojitz Brazil—Making Strides in Metal Resources and Other Areas
Feb. 7, 2025 • Tomoko Oura
In the 25th installment of this series, we spoke with Toru Shida (55), president of Sojitz Brazil. Sojitz is planning to reduce its consolidated financial results (under International Financial Reporting Standards) for the fiscal year ending March 2023, as the pandemic begins to calm down. The company has set new records for net profits for two consecutive years, and since its establishment, Sojitz Brazil has played a key role in the global Sojitz Group. Under the new initiative, the company …
Part 24: TSE Company Contributes to Industrial Development and Decarbonization Promotion
Oct. 3, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 24th installment of this series, we spoke with Hideo Sato (49), president of TS Participações S.A. (TS), the parent company of TSE, a Brazilian corporation invested in by Toyo Engineering Corporation (TOYO). Brazil has abundant natural resources and continues to experience steady economic growth due to expanding domestic demand. By carrying out EPC work that covers everything from the design, procurement of equipment and materials to construction of onshore and offshore facilities for oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, …
Part 23: HIS Sao Paulo Branch competes with local South American travel information
Sept. 20, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 23rd installment of this series, we spoke with Ryoma Arai (53), branch manager of the HIS Sao Paulo branch. When HIS, one of Japan's leading travel agencies, opened a branch in São Paulo in 2010, it left an impression on Japanese people living in Brazil that Japan and Brazil had become closer. With the travel industry being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company continues to take on new challenges in order to survive in businesses other …
Part 22: Dentists themselves promote business and boost sales at Shofu Dental Brazil
Aug. 30, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 22nd installment of this series, we spoke with Tomomi Harashima (54, second generation), president of Shofu Dental Brazil. The company was established in 2017 as a sales subsidiary of Shofu Co., Ltd., a Kyoto-based manufacturer and distributor of dental materials and equipment. About five years have passed since the company began full-scale operations, and its name recognition has grown so rapidly that even Brazilian dentists who place importance on quality have been surprised, saying that "they trust Made …
Part 21: Zensho do Brasil: Providing safe, delicious and convenient Japanese food
Aug. 16, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 21st installment of this series, we spoke with Norihiro Aoyama (43, originally from Shizuoka Prefecture), president of Zensho do Brasil. The company operates the Brazilian Sukiya chain, which opened its first store in 2010 near the São Joaquim metro station in the oriental quarter of São Paulo. 14 years after its opening, the chain has expanded to 27 locations across Brazil, building a food infrastructure as one of Japan's leading restaurant chains, specializing in beef bowls and curry. …
Part 20: JICA Brazil Office Provides Over 500 Billion Yen in Support
Aug. 2, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
This time, we spoke not with a company but with Masayuki Eguchi, director of the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Brazil Office, a government organization. Since 1959, the organization has been maintaining and strengthening the partnership between Japan and Brazil by utilizing the knowledge, know-how, and human resources cultivated through Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects, with three pillars: cooperation between the Brazilian government, the private sector, and the Japanese community. Leveraging bilateral cooperation between Japan and Brazil to solve …
Part 19: Tunibra IMG: Support for expatriate residence permits
July 19, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
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 …
Part 18: TBP: Competing on Quality
June 30, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 18th installment of this series, we spoke with President Masaru Baba and Vice President Hajime Ishihara of TBP, a Brazilian subsidiary of Kao Corporation. Over the past four or five years, Biore products, a skincare brand made by Kao Corporation, a representative Japanese company, have become available in São Paulo at local drug stores and on the Internet. The company is in charge of importing and selling these products, and seeing how well the products have been received …
Part 17: NEC Latin America contributes to South America with the world's best digital authentication technology
June 23, 2024 • Tomoko Oura
In the 17th installment of this series introducing "The Current Situation of Japanese Companies Active in Brazil," we spoke with Yasushi Tanabe, President of NEC Latin America. The company was established in 2011 as a regional headquarters for local subsidiaries in six Latin American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Venezuela). Its predecessor, NEC Brazil S.A. (NEC do Brasil), was established 55 years ago, and even in the 21st century, it has established itself as an excellent company that …
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