Copyright kyodonews
TOKYO - Japanese police suspect a group is selling fake Taiwanese driver's licenses to help Chinese tourists take advantage of an easier process to obtain documents for driving cars in Japan. The police arrested two Chinese earlier this month on suspicion of applying online using fake Taiwanese driver's licenses to get Japanese translations to use in the country. Visitors from certain countries and regions, including Taiwan, can drive a car in Japan as long as they have a driver's license issued from their home country or region, along with its Japanese translation. Visitors from countries such as China must convert their license into a Japanese one after passing both a written exam and a driving test at a driver's license center in Japan. Starting in October, they will also need to have a registered residence in Japan. Translation services are offered by government-designated organizations, such as the Japan Automobile Federation, or JAF, which provides motorist members with roadside assistance and other services. The two Chinese are alleged to have bought items including fake driver's licenses through a Chinese e-commerce site for around 160,000 yen ($1,000) each. They then conspired with others in applying to JAF for Japanese translations of the fake licenses in November, according to the police. One of the suspects denies knowing that the license he used was fake, the police said. The police will put a third Chinese national on an international wanted list on the allegation that he handled paperwork for them through the e-commerce site. The police are aware of at least eight cases in which fake Taiwanese driver's licenses were used, and believe that a group is behind the unlawful activity involving Chinese tourists.
