Japanese police have arrested two Chinese tourists in Tokyo on suspicion of using fake Taiwanese driver’s licenses to illegally apply for driver’s licenses in Japan. Both suspects have denied these accusations.
The two Chinese citizens are 38-year-old Gao Zhizhou (male) and 47-year-old Gong Xiuping (female). They are accused of using their own fake driver’s licenses in November 2024 to submit false applications online to the Japan Automobile Association (JIA) for driver’s licenses.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Chinese driver’s licenses require a higher level of difficulty in the “foreign driver’s license conversion” process to be converted to a Japanese driver’s license. On the other hand, Taiwanese driver’s licenses only require a Japanese translation certified by a designated institution to be immediately used in Japan.
It is reported that the two individuals purchased fake Taiwanese driver’s licenses for approximately 160,000 Japanese yen (about 1,000 US dollars) through a Chinese online shopping website.
Gao Zhizhou told the police that he was in possession of a Taiwanese driver’s license when renting a car in Japan, but he was unaware that the license was fake. Gong Xiuping stated that her license was for driving in Japan, but she did not know that a Japanese translation of the license was required.
The police believe that Gao Zhizhou did not possess a valid driver’s license when driving a rental car in Japan.
The police are also planning to apply for an arrest warrant for a 37-year-old Chinese citizen who is suspected of instructing the two suspects to forge the driver’s licenses and guiding them on how to apply for the licenses with the Japanese authorities. They plan to cooperate with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to include this individual on the international wanted list.
Authorities have stated that this is the first time that suspects have been arrested for using fake Taiwanese driver’s licenses to illegally apply for driver’s licenses. They further added that other Chinese tourists have also been arrested on similar charges.