12.(2) Banking department business
Japanese name: Tozan Bank
Brazilian name: Casa Bancaria Tozan Limitada
Head Office Sao Paulo City
Branches Santos, Lins, Marilia, Presidente Prudente, Ourinillos, Araçatuba
Previously, the only Japanese bank in Brazil was the Yokohama Specie Bank in Rio de Janeiro, but not in São Paulo, where Japanese people gather, so our company, Coffee Commissario, was the only financial institution for Japanese farmers. However, as the activities of Japanese people expanded into general agricultural products other than coffee, such as cotton, rice, and corn, and as the economic content of these crops increased, it became necessary to securely deposit these funds and make profit, and Japanese people in the interior of the hinterland began to use these funds. In order to return the money to farmers as production capital, there was a demand for a Japanese bank for the Japanese people, so in 1930 our company took the initiative in establishing a Japanese bank. Their Brazilian names are Casa, Bancaria, Tozan, and Limitada, and their current capital is 250 Contos.The main office was originally located in Santos, but last year it was moved to São Paulo, where they opened coffee and cotton centers such as Rins, Marilia, and Presidente Prudente. The company is making a big leap forward by opening a branch in the city of Ourinillos, a strategic city on the border between São Paulo and Parana this year.
Tozan Bank was the first Japanese-run bank in São Paulo, but based on our company’s reputation and history, the number of Japanese deposits has increased over the years, and the total amount has now exceeded 20,000 contos and is gradually increasing. The gradual increase in bank reserves and the abundance of payment reserves, coupled with the unparalleled solidity of their management, created tremendous trust among the Japanese colonists, together with the aforementioned coffee commissary department, it has become a central institution for the development of the Japanese economy.