I guess this is true in many countries (no tests for french driving license holders). I'm french, and didn't have to take a paper test, or a driving test when I got my license in Japan. Which is kind of ridiculous considering they don't even check you know how rules differ between the countries, and there are more than a few differences, the most basic one being default speed limits in the absence of indication. Anyways, I actually didn't get my french driving license before I was planning to move to Japan, and the reason I did get it is because getting a driving license in Japan is even more expensive than it is in France. Fwiw, I got my french driving license on the first try after 23 hours of lessons and didn't have any of the problems mentioned. In fact, I had all my paper test preparation with a web site that my driving school was contracting, so besides the freelance instructors, I don't see much innovation in that ornikar thing.