How to spot Illegal private tour operators.

Tourism is booming in Japan, creating lucrative opportunities. However, this also attracts illegitimate operators. If you're planning to use any vehicle for transportation, it's crucial to know how to identify a legitimate company. Here's what to look for.

Why is this important? If you're a passenger in an unlicensed vehicle and an accident occurs, you likely won't receive compensation from the company you booked with, as they probably won't be insured.

How to Verify Your Ride's Legitimacy (Focusing on License Plates)

When your booked transportation arrives (van, taxi, etc.), take these steps:

1. Identify the License Plate: Immediately look for the license plate. This is crucial for confirming the vehicle's registration status.

2. Check the Color Combination: This is the most important step:

   • Green Plate with White Writing: This indicates a commercial vehicle, licensed to provide transportation services for a fee. This is what you should expect from a legitimate tourism company or taxi service.

   • White Plate with Green Writing: This indicates a private vehicle. If you've booked a commercial service, this is a major red flag. It suggests the vehicle is not properly licensed for paid transportation.

Key Takeaway: The license plate color combination is the quickest and often most reliable way to distinguish between a legitimate commercial vehicle and a potentially unlicensed private vehicle. Always prioritize your safety and double-check if anything seems unusual.

These are examples of the green number plates.

They can have the background green or the green outline with the left corner green.

Besides the green number plate, the driver should also posses the Class 2 driver's license.

第二種運転免許

A Class 2 driver's license in Japan is a license required to drive a vehicle for transporting passengers or to operate a designated chauffeur services.

There are the following types of second-class driver's licenses:

• Large passenger bus

• Medium-sized passenger bus

• Large tourist bus

• Medium-sized tourist bus

• Taxi

• Exclusive

To determine if someone is licensed to drive commercial vehicles, check their driver's license. The characters 普二 in the category section indicate they are authorized. If this section is blank, they are not licensed for commercial vehicles.