The NatWest Group’s historical ties with Japan stretch all the way back to 1859, when the Netherlands Trading Society (NTS) – eventually to become ABN AMRO, and then RBS – was the first foreign company to be granted Imperial consent to open branches in Japan. It opened a branch in Nagasaki, followed by more in other Japanese cities. By the late 1870s, however, competition was making trading activities less profitable and NTS withdrew from Japan.
Overlay
Alexander Shand
Alexander Shand, a Scottish-trained banker, spent the 1860s and 1870s in Japan working for the Japanese finance ministry, advising on banking systems, conducting lectures and writing textbooks for Japanese bankers. He returned to London in 1877, but his ties to Japan remained important for the rest of his life. In 1905 Shand attended a dinner at the Savoy Hotel in Takahashi’s honour, and in 1927, the Japan Times published a booklet about Shand and his life, called ‘A Friend of Nippon’
Information Message
Korekiyo Takahashi
In the early 1900s, Korekiyo Takahasi played a key role in securing foreign loans for the Japanese government. One of the contacts who ensured his success in these projects was Shand, who had joined Alliance Bank (later Parr’s Bank) which eventually became part of NatWest Group and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Between 1899 and 1910 Parr’s Bank led consortia raising loans of £80,000,000 for the Imperial Japanese government.
Information Message
From 1920
By 1920, NTS had evolved from a trading company into a bank and opened a branch in Kobe. Its presence in the country was temporarily withdrawn during the 1940s, but by 1950 it was back again, and has continued ever since.
After the earthquake of 1923, Westminster Bank (as it was then known) led international efforts to raise reconstruction loans for the Japanese government. In recognition, the bank was given an elegant decorative dish, and the bank’s general manager at the time, John Rae, was appointed to the Order of the Rising Sun.
Doing business in Japan
We’re here for you to do business. Find out more about our currencies, fixed income and capital markets services available in Japan.
Information Message
Words from our President
A message from Kenji Yamamoto , the President of NatWest Markets Japan. Preseident Kenji talks about how NatWest Japan works internationally and the knowledge that the whole NatWest Japan team bring to your banking.
Information Message