Osaka

Jan. 23 (Asia Today) — Osaka Prefectural Police arrested six Chinese nationals on suspicion of running unlicensed taxi services for Chinese tourists by abusing permits intended for welfare taxi operations, Japanese media reported.

Investigators said the suspects used vehicles bearing green license plates similar to regular taxis to pick up Chinese travelers at Kansai International Airport and drive them to destinations in Osaka and Kyoto. Authorities allege the group earned more than 30 million yen (about $192,000) in illegal proceeds over about a year and a half.

Police said the scheme exploited Japan’s welfare taxi system, which is meant to transport patients or people with disabilities, not general passengers. Officials said the suspects used reservations and payment arrangements through Chinese social media platforms.

Police previously arrested five people by December on suspicion of violating the Road Transport Act. Authorities said the operation was tied to a nursing care service company based in Osaka’s Minami Ward. The firm’s representative director, a 43-year-old woman of Chinese descent, held a limited permit for welfare taxi service, Japanese media reported. She previously received a summary order and a 700,000 yen (about $4,500) fine for a similar alleged violation, the reports said.

In Japan, licensed taxi operators display green license plates, while private and rental vehicles use white plates. Welfare taxi services operate under a special permit allowing transport only for eligible passengers, and their licensing requirements are less stringent than those for regular taxis, authorities said.

Japanese media have reported a rise in illegal passenger transport cases in major regions. The Nikkei reported arrests for unlicensed passenger transport in the Tokyo and Kansai areas increased from 17 cases in 2022 to 33 cases in 2023. In one case cited in media reports, a driver arrested at Haneda Airport allegedly charged Chinese passengers 1,700 yuan, about 35,500 yen ($228), for a ride to Tokyo’s Ginza district.

Crackdowns in Osaka and Tokyo intensified in 2025, with police expanding monitoring of social media activity and stepping up airport patrols, Japanese outlets reported. Similar cases have also been detected in areas including Fukuoka and Yokohama, the reports said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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