Mitsubishi CEO says it will be tough to manage car alliance without Ghosn

If it was a Japanese at the head that got arrested things would not be moving this fast!

He hasn't been tried, that is if there ever even is a trial, and everyone is nailing his coffin shut!

Thinking of all the scandals this year in Japan Inc. and this is really nothing. Someone was jealous and wanted him out. No bowing or promise to do better. It's quite a stark contrast to the Japanese apology system versus how foreign leaders are treated. Irony isn't being properly translated

If it was a Japanese at the head that got arrested things would not be moving this fast!

It's Nissan, short for 日本産業 (Nippon Sangyo) which means "Japan" Industries. As trivia as I might say, it's probably an embarassment that "Japan" Industries is headed by a non-Japanese, so this explains why things are moving so fast. Even in NHK news this morning, the group panel brought for live interview repeatedly referred to him as "gaikokujin" and they said that being a foreigner that has a different leadership style, there seems a resentment within the company and an internal coup is likely.

You can bet other non-Japanese in upper management are now assessing their situations & non-Japanese will now possibly avoid any high level jobs if Japan based

This is gonna be interesting. As Japan is now opening up to more foreigners, things like this happened and gonna be a big turn-off for many high-skilled gaijins. Only blue collar gaijins are still willing to come.

Not a single Japanese person within the company aided or abetted his alleged actions? Based on what the allegations are, that would seem highly unlikely to near impossible.

Until Ghosn has a chance to respond directly, I'll reserve judgement.

It certainly appears to be a stitch up of the highest order, and a stark reminder as to how the 'justice system' works in Japan especially if you aren't Japanese.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the CEOs of the following companies were never arrested when PROOF of their corporate corruption and fraud was exposed:

Toshiba's accounting

Takata airbags

Kobe Steel falsifying data

Various vehicle companies emissions data

Suruga Bank loans

KYB data rigging

Hitachi's improper tests

Toray Industries falsifying data

(Let's not even talk about TEPCO, Abe and his Kindergarten etc.)

Is it just me or has only Nissan investigated ITSELF wrt to Ghosn?!?!?!

Its beginning to sound like he was internally investigated, info handed to J-authorities, was promptly arrested upon arrival, then Nissan & Mitsubishi pile on the guy.....

To date 2 foreigners are in the dog house, no Japanese person has been mentioned in connection with all this...……..

I am not saying I believe the 2 guys are innocent(or guilty) but YEAH this has come about with very UN-Japanese speed, seems rather unusual.

You can bet other non-Japanese in upper management are now assessing their situations & non-Japanese will now possibly  avoid any high level  jobs if Japan based

This is going to get SUPER interesting

Not sure if this is true but I read here and there that Ghosn wanted to merge Nissan and Renault and the heads of Nissan werent too happy about that. But that doesn't tell us if Ghosn is clean or not.

The whistleblower should receive a massive bonus for outing this super rich criminal, what a hero. Good to know his identity is protected as well. A warning to all CEOs who think they're above the law. Ghosn is finished

Certainly not a good time for MItsubushi Motors.

@Vistula

If whistle-blowers are accomplices involved, these bad managers would be able to get much reduction of criminality or almost free to go. Other managers must be arrested soon as same way as Ghosn. Heard this is a plea bargaining. Ghosn must be a biggest fish from the beginning.

The Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi car alliance may be hard to manage without the unifying figure of chairman Carlos Ghosn, 

Yes, this might be true. However, things like this happen in other businesses. While I was working for my dad's business, we've had very knowledgeable people who left for other directions. However, my dad taught me that "No one is indispensable." In times like this, one of the things I do is to pull strengths with other staff and work together like this is our business. Times like this provide some of the best learning experiences.

From the NYT today:

> Mr. Ghosn kept homes in Paris, Amsterdam, Beirut and Rio de Janeiro; shuttled around the globe on a corporate jet; and dined with heads of state. He collected contemporary art, invested in wineries and, in 2016, rented out Versailles to celebrate his wedding to his second wife, Carole, along with her 50th birthday. The party was inspired by Sofia Coppola’s film “Marie Antoinette.”

Quote of the day here on JT:

They are the only ones reaping the benefits and it's unacceptable. Our management should have a sense of responsibility following a recent string of scandals.

-A Nissan worker at the automaker's factory in Tochigi Prefecture, expressing his anger at the arrest of company chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Or how about this from earlier this year:

"Nissan probe finds misuse of foreign trainees at plants in Japan"

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/06/06/national/nissan-probe-finds-misuse-foreign-trainees-plants-japan/#.W_TT1-JoSM8

I don't have much sympathy for 1 percenters renting out palaces. My concern is for average workers, domestic and foreign alike. They're probably making due on the same wages they've been receiving for years. His lifestyle was borne on their backs. Just b/c he's a dynamic foreigner doesn't mask any of that. Good riddance.

Ghosn really did good job for years, but Crime is crime whatever. Crime can't be ignored in law-abiding country.

I agree that crime is crime and if he did anything wrong then so be it. My question is the difference in treatment to other Japanese managers of the companies that were involved in scandals.

Ghosn is a Davos diva, the posterboy of neo-liberal globalization. It is good to know that in Japan, at least, the 1% aren't above the laws the rest of us plebs must abide by.

Well done to Japan for showing that no one is above the law, even top CEOs. Enjoy your time in jail Carlos!

This doesn't really help the Corporate image of Japan. It really smacks of a Mafia style whacking, of the clan head. Now it seems they had to extend his detention for another 10 days in order to figure out what they're going to charge him with....

It seems Nissan doesn't need alliance any more but Renault, Mitsubishi maybe need it. Ghosn really did good job for years, but Crime is crime whatever. Crime can't be ignored in law-abiding country. He was confused/mixed about public money and private money. He probably thought all Nissan fund belong to him because he saved NIssan.

I think we all need to stop trying to connect lines to the whole "he is a gaijin so we hate him thing". This wasnt particularly fast by Japanese standards and while, yes, it is moving quite fast its likely because he is such a big name in the business world, doing nothing would basically be abetting his crimes.

As to the whole, Japanese people werent involved in it? Its true there are likely some Japanese underlings who were in charge of filing and drafting the report to the TSE but they won't know if what he reported his income as was true or not.

Instead of everyone hopping on the big Japan hates foreigner band wagon, how about we use some logic. Nissan has literally nothing to gain for signalling out Grey and Ghosn. Their stock fell 5% in one day, and is still falling.

You want a reason things are moving fast in this case and not in other cases? The Nissan case has direct impacts to the stock holders and you don't screw over stock holders. The other cases mentioned by a few people above had no direct impact on stock evaluations etc. (Granted stock did fall afterwards but thats a bit different)

Correct me if I'm wrong but the CEOs of the following companies were never arrested when PROOF of their corporate corruption and fraud was exposed:

What proof? The only way these CEOs would be arrested is if they were directly involved and ordering people to do those things. Thats the difference in this case. There IS proof that Ghosn intentionally under-reported his earnings, because he is the only person that could report and sign off on those numbers. In the case of KYB/Subara/Takata/Toshiba -- the CEOs didnt expressly sign off on the issues with the intent and knowledge that would lead to legal action being successfully taken, if they even signed off on them to begin with.

What are the criminal charges?

And who is the whistleblower ?

I forgot to point out foreigners who own/run their own companies had now better assess their own situations as well!!!

@Vistula

Instead of everyone hopping on the big Japan hates foreigner band wagon, how about we use some logic. Nissan has literally nothing to gain for signalling out Grey and Ghosn. Their stock fell 5% in one day, and is still falling.

Sure. But the whole of Nissan doesn't make these decisions the guys at the top or rather those directly under Ghosn who have everything to gain personally. Nobody bothered to ask the big guy himself regards the allegations prior to their little secret internal investigation and his surprise arrest. 100% stitch up from very jealous and horrendously disloyal underlings. Its really hard to imagine any of this would have occurred from an "internal investigation" if a Japanese person was running the company. Honour, respect and gratitude?...my A$$!

I wonder how many of the guys at Nissan who knew of this sold their stock prior to the announcement...cops or the Japanese equivalent of SEC should be investigating that too.

He hasn't been tried, that is if there ever even is a trial, and everyone is nailing his coffin shut!

If he is under arrest, grill have to appear before a judge around about now (72 hours). Will the judge behave like a judge, or just rubber stamp what a prosecutor demands?

I think that Japanese law, or more to the point, rule of law could be on trail here.

Not sure if this is true but I read here and there that Ghosn wanted to merge Nissan and Renault and the heads of Nissan weren't too happy about that. But that doesn't tell us if Ghosn is clean or not.

I also heard the same, too. Maybe because the top brass didn't feel like going outside the box.

So it isn't taxation, and he didn't tweet that he might consider taking the Conglomerate Renault, Mitsubishi & Nissan private, so what on earth is his henious crime that this great man should be treated thus ?

The Nissan box thingy car is the best selling car in japan. Wonder what will happen now?

I wonder who will win with the renounce of Ghosn.

I have a hunch that alliance Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi were annoying someone. The Nissan leaks reminds Volkswagen's dieselgategate scandal and Toyota's involuntary acceleration issues.

Maybe the Big Boss was not at all satisfied with the caravan of more than 500 business leaders visiting a country that does not respect intellectual rights.

I am personally very interested in this case.Carlos is just the scape-goat for some higher up people, who used a Japanese whistle blower that would get a lighter sentence for himself for betraying Carlos. But whatever, it is Carlos income is his personal business,how many houses he owns , is his personal business. All good Japanese must remember that he brought their Nissan out of the red and saved many necks.Good Japanese people should be ashamed that there is a uragirimo in Nissan. it shows that bad Japanese is full of jealousy & feed on other people's success and try to used excuses to cover up their mean action.