Ram Prasad Gaire (45), a Nepalese National and restaurant operator residing in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of violating the Road Transportation Act was
According to police, on April 22, Gaire allegedly drove two American Nationals around Kyoto City, and operated an unauthorized taxi service without the required license.
Police had received a tip: “A white-plate vehicle is transporting several foreigners.” On that same day, officers stopped the car as it was leaving the parking lot of Kyoto’s popular tourist spot, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. During questioning, police checked the passengers’ smartphones and discovered that before coming to Japan, the passengers had paid around 70,000 yen via credit card for the transport—revealing the illegal activity.
With the expected increase in inbound tourists due to events like the Osaka-Kansai Expo, police plan to strengthen enforcement against unlicensed taxi operations.
