The Shocking Truth Behind Japan–Korea Charter Tours: Are 90% of Them Operating Illegally?

“I Didn’t Take Money, So It Doesn’t Count as an Illegal Car.”

A few weeks ago, police in Shingū City, Japan, arrested a 26-year-old Chinese man, freshly discharged from the hospital, on charges of operating an illegal “black car” that resulted in a fatal accident.

According to Japanese media, on September 30, the man was driving a white-plate private vehicle carrying seven Chinese tourists along National Route 168 in Wakayama Prefecture when he collided head-on with a truck. The crash killed one female passenger. Although the driver repeatedly insisted he hadn’t accepted any payment, police investigations revealed the ride had been prepaid.

For those who frequently visit Japan, it’s well known that green plates are reserved for licensed commercial vehicles, while white plates are for private cars. Yet for years, these unlicensed white-plate cars have quietly become a familiar sight among Chinese tourists.

The reason is simple: they’re cheaper, the drivers are usually Chinese (making communication and payments easier), and many rides are booked through big, well-known domestic platforms that look legitimate. But the risks are huge—there’s no passenger insurance, so in the event of an accident, travelers receive no compensation.

The drivers’ skills also vary wildly, with many being students or temporary visitors seeking quick money. Japanese authorities have maintained a zero-tolerance stance toward these black cars. In major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kobe, dozens of drivers and operators have been arrested in recent years.

Earlier this year, in February, police uncovered another large-scale black car operation involving ten suspects, including six Chinese nationals. The ringleaders—a Chinese couple in their fifties—managed at least thirty drivers, using WeChat groups to attract customers and offering private transport between popular destinations like Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara.

Within a year, their business generated over 31 million yen in revenue, averaging 80,000 yen a day. Drivers earned around 18,000–20,000 yen daily—about 900 RMB per day.

The “Green Plate Transformation”

To dodge stricter crackdowns, many white-plate drivers have “reinvented” themselves—renting green plates from car rental companies while continuing the same illegal business under a new disguise.

As one Japanese operator, Mr. A, put it: “It’s the same group of people, just pretending to go legit. They rent green plates, pay monthly fees, and keep flooding airports looking for passengers—even reporting competitors to the police.”

He explained that these rented green-plate vehicles are no more legal than before, as the drivers have no real employment ties to the rental companies and rarely follow compliance rules.

“Before the pandemic, the ratio of legal to illegal cars was about 5:5. Now, after heavy crackdowns, it’s roughly 7:3—but many so-called green plates are actually rented covers.”

Renting a green plate costs around 150,000 yen per month, but drivers can earn over 1 million yen (roughly 40,000 RMB) monthly thanks to the illusion of legitimacy. In short, new paint—same chaos.

Even Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has noticed the trend. Recently, Minister Hiroaki Nakano confirmed that investigations are underway at Haneda Airport, warning that green-plate rentals used for illegal taxiing will face legal action.

A Global Issue — Not Just Japan

Mr. B, a veteran operator in Korea’s travel industry, believes illegal transport isn’t a local quirk but a global Chinese-tourism problem.

“Wherever there are Chinese travelers—Japan, Korea, Australia, Europe—there are black cars. Honestly, legal vehicles probably make up less than 10%.”

Skeptical, I asked if major domestic booking platforms weren’t supposed to be regulated and legitimate.

“They are,” she admitted, “but think about it—where do these drivers come from? There aren’t enough Chinese permanent residents or long-term visa holders to meet demand. Many are students or short-term visitors who rent or buy cars and sign up to these platforms. A good month and they’ve already earned back the car’s cost.”

She added, “I know over a thousand people in this business here in Seoul—and I’d only trust about five companies.”

The European Echo

Her comments reminded me of a recent statement issued by the French Chinese Tourism Association, which condemned “black-car guides”—drivers who enter Europe on short-term tourist visas, rent vehicles, and illegally offer chauffeured tour services in Italy, Switzerland, and France.

These “air-dropped” driver-guides undercut legitimate businesses with cheap, off-book deals, disrupting market order and taking away jobs from licensed local agencies.

But as Mr. B sees it, this isn’t a new issue—and no simple declaration can fix it.

“At the end of the day, it’s about survival. People chase money, and money wins. Driving illegally overseas can bring in thousands of RMB a day—far better than wages back home. So people find ways—tourist visas or not.”

Some netizens have summed it up perfectly: instead of competing in China’s ride-hailing market, why not ‘go global’ and drive black cars abroad? It’s ironic—the so-called ‘going global’ wave now includes an export of domestic hustle and gray-zone business models.

The Platform Push and Market Trap

Profit, of course, isn’t the only factor. According to insiders, online travel platforms also play a part.

“Tourists pay plenty on these apps, but once the platform takes its cut, very little reaches the drivers or fleets,” Mr. B explained. “Competition among platforms drives prices so low that operators can’t survive unless they hire cheaper black-car drivers.”

Mr. A, the Japanese supplier, agreed: “Some platform rates are now below Japan’s legal minimum for transportation fares. Even legitimate fleets are forced to subcontract illegal drivers to stay afloat.”

In this race to the bottom, bad money drives out good. Many legal fleets can’t compete without pushing extra shopping stops or optional paid activities to cover losses.

“The cheap rides often come with hidden costs—forced detours to souvenir stores or self-funded activities that make up the difference,” said Mr. A.

“And today’s tourists prefer small private groups over traditional tours. Many assume booking through big Chinese apps guarantees safety, and that having a Chinese-speaking driver is a bonus—not realizing their driver may be on a tourist visa, running an illegal business.”

Why Authorities Struggle to Keep Up

When I asked Mr. B why local authorities don’t clamp down harder, she laughed softly.

“It’s not that they don’t want to—they just can’t. Take Jeju Island, for example. The population is only a few hundred thousand, but it receives over a million Chinese tourists a year. There simply aren’t enough officers to police them all.”

She’s right. Europe faces similar struggles—earlier this year, Chinese tour groups in Italy were robbed in broad daylight. If police can’t even catch thieves, chasing down unlicensed drivers seems like a distant priority. That’s why France’s tourism associations are now issuing public appeals instead.

“Black-car drivers are evolving too,” she added. “They used to wait at airports, but with cameras everywhere now, they’ve adapted—picking up guests directly at hotels. And as a passenger, it’s nearly impossible to tell. You can ask to see a driver’s license—but can you really demand to see their visa?”

And that, perhaps, sums up the problem best—a global tourism boom built on a fragile, shadowy network of convenience, profit, and risk.