Green Motion International, the UK-founded vehicle rental franchise present in more than 80 countries, has expanded into Japan after awarding its master country franchise to car rental entrepreneur Tomoharu Shirakawa. The brand is already operating at Narita Airport (Tokyo) and New Chitose Airport, with downtown Tokyo planned this year and Haneda, Kansai, Nagoya and Fukuoka airports targeted over the following 12–24 months.
The Japan deal follows the structure Green Motion has used across its international network: award country rights to an experienced local operator, then scale through that operator’s market knowledge. Shirakawa, described by the company as a highly respected entrepreneur with extensive experience in the Japanese car rental industry, will lead Green Motion Japan and oversee the brand’s rollout nationwide.
For a services franchise, Japan is both attractive and unforgiving — high consumer expectations, dense regulation and entrenched domestic incumbents. That is precisely why the master franchise route, rather than direct entry, remains the default for international brands entering the market.
Green Motion’s sequencing is deliberate. Airports concentrate exactly the customers an international rental brand serves best — inbound tourists and business travellers — before the network pushes into city locations.
Green Motion cited Japan’s tourism industry, business travel market and growing demand for vehicle rental services as the reasons the country represents an important market for the company.
Founded in the United Kingdom in 2007, Green Motion has built its franchise identity around reducing the environmental effects of vehicle rental — efficient operations and lower-emission vehicles where available. That positioning aligns naturally with Japanese consumer and corporate sustainability expectations, giving the brand a differentiated story against established domestic players.
“Expanding into Japan further strengthens our presence across the Asia-Pacific region.”
Richard Lowden, founder and CEO of Green Motion International, added that he has every confidence Shirakawa and his team will establish Green Motion as a leading mobility provider in the market.
Master country franchising is not just an F&B story. Mobility, services and B2B concepts are using the same structure to enter Asia Pacific — a single capable operator, country-level rights, and a phased rollout anchored in high-traffic locations. It is the same logic driving master franchise activity in markets like Saudi Arabia and across ASEAN. For operators and family offices assessing cross-border franchise opportunities, Green Motion’s Japan entry is a reminder that service-sector country rights — often less contested than restaurant deals — can offer first-mover advantages in mature, high-spend markets.
Source: Auto Rental News — Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement
