crime

Ghosn calls Japan's prosecution system discriminatory

57 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

57 Comments
Login to comment

I love that he's keeping after them. He knows he's got them on the ropes.

44 ( +65 / -21 )

Yeah, the Kangaroo court

good luck getting a fair trial there

44 ( +67 / -23 )

If that’s so come back Ghosn We will talk it with sake on the box

-22 ( +17 / -39 )

Yes, he should have been treated same as in the US

-24 ( +7 / -31 )

If Ghosn is so concerned about his “rights and reputation,” he should come back to Japan to prove his innocence and clear his name. Getting stupefied in the Mediterranean sun in Lebanon won’t get him anywhere.

-51 ( +21 / -72 )

He should be in jail.

-43 ( +22 / -65 )

Ghosn continues to hide in Lebanon, a very impoverished nation and remains silent about his legal troubles in France and Netherlands that led to the seizure of millions of euros of his assets. Not to forget his situation in USA, where he had to pay 1 million USD out of his own wallet to US regulators, he is barred as CEO for any US company for the next ten years.

-27 ( +13 / -40 )

Anybody in his shoes would've done the same if he could.

Of course.

Doesn't matter if I get a fair trial or not, I don't want to go to jail

16 ( +27 / -11 )

@Iron Las

u have any hard evidence to support that? Please feel free to share and enlighten us

20 ( +24 / -4 )

Just look at how Ghosn was treated compared to Saikawa. Nissan CEO Saikawa resigned after an internal investigation revealed falsified documents that boosted his compensation. Was he ever charged?

33 ( +43 / -10 )

Mr. Ghosn would have never had a chance of having a fair trial in Japan, he should just stay were ever he is and move forward.

There is NO point in keeping the flame going when you no you know it could burn you!!

13 ( +23 / -10 )

Whining of an old guy who didn't have courage to face his destiny and fight I court.

And Nissan is do brave they run to the government so they won’t be controlled by Renault.

14 ( +21 / -7 )

were found guilty earlier this year following a trial in Japan.

Funny because they already plead guilty before the “trial”.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

He should be in prison and have all of his assets seized.

No, you're innocent until found guilty by court.

You don't send people to prison and then check for months if he's really guilty.

20 ( +25 / -5 )

Japanese trials are quite a joke, you are guilty by principle even before the process starts. If you are foreigner, it's even worst, there are some many scary stories out there

13 ( +25 / -12 )

Under Japanese law you have to prove your innocence. It’s the complete opposite of prosecutors proving your guilt as in other democracies.

16 ( +23 / -7 )

Of course Japans legal system is discriminatory. Non Japanese are questioned and indicted by a different prosecutor (gai kensatsu).

Many years ago a prosecutor for non Japanese told me that he was in charge of POW's during WW2.

It is also worth noting that Japans "international police force" is not Interpol.

Incidentally, if the prosecutor )gai kensatsu) who I spoke to in 1986 is reading this, remember, I did say that I would make the above fact known.

10 ( +18 / -8 )

Slow news day. Here we go again with Carlos trying to stay relevant and plea his innocence from his Lebanon prison mansion.

And the usual - from Carlos supporters.

-16 ( +7 / -23 )

How does he come to that statement? He was only exposed to it very short time and could even manage to leave it fully free and unharmed. That result is the pure contrary or at least very far from discriminatory, isn’t it?

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

Perfectly agreed.

7 ( +16 / -9 )

Hope to see his book as a best seller here in Japan soon.

11 ( +20 / -9 )

jus...what? ahh justice, the thing that should put all corrupted Japanese board and politician (remember Olympus board saying gaijin are liers) in jail...keep fighting Ghosn to change this unfair system.

10 ( +19 / -9 )

Yes, it discriminates against bad people!

-14 ( +7 / -21 )

He left fully free and unharmed because he escaped after being imprisoned before trial.

the guy was put in a tiny room for months on end.

11 ( +18 / -7 )

No, it’s RIGGED, not exactly Discriminatory

1 ( +10 / -9 )

He was a CEO in Japan, made good money. He had no problem with Japan's justice system then. When we find evidence of misconduct, the first thing he does is cry wolf and run away like a coward in a suit case.

You come to Japan you follow the rules and laws of the land!

I don't come to Western Nation, break the laws, commit crimes, then run away because I don't think your system is fair.

Laws work perfectly well for Japanese. Apparently some foreigners have major issues with that.

Why don't you go to China or Korea and tell them your ideas.... See what happens in countries less kind to foreign bashing of their country.

-16 ( +12 / -28 )

As someone who loves Japan, I recognize it has imperfections, especially in the legal system, left over from the mediaeval times that ended here several centuries later than they did in the west. The brutal treatment of victims is one such legacy, especially as it applies to foreigners. In spite of his huge contribution to rescuing a Japanese company from bankruptcy, Ghosn became its victim. He recognizing he faced insurmountable odds and used his wealth and position to get away.

Another victim of Japan's brutal treatment of foreigners is Wishma Rathnayake, a Sri Lankan girl whose dream was to teach English in Japan. She overcame many obstacles to fulfill that dream, but failed Japan's immigration laws on a technicality. She died - in a Japanese Prison:

Can we help keep her memory alive in a way that will help others, especially victims of Japan's brutal treatment of foreigners? Could we ask Carlos Ghosn to contribute to a fund for this? Could we even ask if we can call it the "Carlos Ghosn Fund?"

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Of course, all criminals in the world will speak bad things about of the legal system that wants to prosecute them for their crimes..

Why the Ghosnbelievers can't understand it??..

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

Foreign senators and ambassadors are rooting for Ghosn.

The UN sentenced the j-justice to apologise to Ghosn and reward him.

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Why the Ghosnbelievers can't understand it??..

The Ghosndisbelievers are just as irrational as the believers. Anyone thinking they have enough information one way or the other, to conclude that he either did or didn't do it, is not smart enough to realize that they are reading English translations of Japanese news, and are not getting the actual information.

Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. None of us will know much until he has a trial, and even then, we'll only get the information the court allows to be presented.

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

If there ever was a time for a trial to be held at "The Hague"...this is it....sorry Japan, your time has come.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Stating the obvious is hardly breaking news….

0 ( +9 / -9 )

What is fact is that even if he screwed the Japanese fiscal system, which has to be proved fairly, he should have just paid a heavy fine like any Japanese, not ever prison.

Since he was charged like a criminal, all justice processes were obviously rigged.

How does one not believe he suffered, like many others Japanese and non-Japanese before him, in staying in prison for undefined time (defined as torture by UN) ?

4 ( +11 / -7 )

No worse than the US 'justice' system! That has to be the worst of any advanced country.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

There are other rich Gaijin in Japan who never had problems. It seems the ones who fixate and obsess (feeling totally pissed off in the morning because their lives just suck in Japan) over Ghosn are the ones who think the police are on Nissan's payroll and he was arrested just because he became a Gaijin millionaire

-16 ( +3 / -19 )

"I discovered little by little, the discrimination, the unfairness, that by the end of the day I would not get a fair trial," he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.

100% correct. And he's giving interviews everywhere. He insists on shining a light on this joke of a justice system- which by the way affects even more Japanese negatively than foreigners. So this is not a foreign vs Japanese issue regardless of how many posters here will try to make it out to be so.

2 ( +13 / -11 )

While I find Carlos Ghosn to be a hard character to cheer for in this matter, I also find it very strange that many people on this site really dislike him and want him prosecuted and jailed. Why the great animosity towards him in particular is puzzling. Part of the reason this whole mess started was that he was being paid a very high salary, for Japan, and they didn't want it too look like he was far and above all the other CEO's in Japan, although he did wonders to help Nissan. So they cut his salary, which if he was working in the West would have been higher, no doubt. They they tried to come up with a plan to recompense Ghosn after he left the company for all the money that had been taken away from him. While they may have broken corporate laws, I feel the crime and the punishment don't match. A fine, possible a forfeiture of the money promised might have been enough. But there was also a group at Nissan that wanted him gone and to try and walk back their dealing with Renault, that is where it got dirty and the police and public prosecutors were brought in. IT is also strange we never hear about the star witness Ravinder Passi? He is dirty as they come!

3 ( +11 / -8 )

Ghosn must take this as far as he can to expose Japan.

3 ( +13 / -10 )

I really wonder how much experience these "come back and face the music"-type posters have with the Japanese justice system.

Why on earth would he come back? So he can be rearrested and pulled off the plane? Put back in a small cell with no chance of bail now that they know he's a runner? Perpetually getting rearrested every 3 weeks? Sitting there day in and day out waiting for the Japanese justice system to think of something that will actually stick because they know he's not going to admit guilt? He was in a box for over 100 days the first time; why on earth would he willingly come back to that?

I get it; I doubt the guy squeaks when he walks. But after his initial treatment and watching Saikawa get off completely scot-free for doing essentially the same thing? I don't blame him taking a hard pass.

3 ( +11 / -8 )

Go to jail.

Go directly to jail.

Do not pass "GO".

Do not collect $200.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

@Meiyouwenti

If Ghosn is so concerned about his “rights and reputation,” he should come back to Japan to prove his innocence and clear his name. 

Exactly. Only in Japan should you have to prove your innocence, not the other way around. And you don’t ever think there’s something wrong with that.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

A lot of sympathy for ousted Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn's situation: Jeffery Sonnenfeld - YouTube

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Sympathy is not necessary…take this Trial to The Hague…I’ll fly over just to sit through it.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Sympathy is not necessary…take this Trial to The Hague…I’ll fly over just to sit through it.

You won't have to- I'm sure it will be broadcast everywhere. Let the truth come out- whatever it is.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

MrHeisei wrote:

Slow news day. Here we go again with Carlos trying to stay relevant and plea his innocence from his Lebanon prison mansion.

And the usual - from Carlos supporters.

Not really! Even the US government knows when the J-Gov is being discriminatory. This is the US!!!

U.S. embassy in Tokyo warns of 'suspected racial profiling' by Japanese police

https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-embassy-tokyo-warns-suspected-081619588.html

Stay safe people! Any of us can be next!!!

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Well, when they got me, they GOT me, so I won’t whine about that..

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

Ghosn calls the prosecution system discriminatory but discrimination is endemic in Japan.

From housing to racial profiling to non admittance of refugees.

It is inherent...

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Alot of support for the Japanese legal system on this page.

Incredible really. Third world mentality.

I love how Ghosn is dragging the name of the Japanese legal system through the mud.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Greg Kelly it's been abused by the system for 3 years.

That's reinforces Goshn decision to fight the system from a safe place overseas.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Why don't you go to China or Korea and tell them your ideas.... See what happens in countries less kind to foreign bashing of their country.

You must be sarcastic right?

Japan kind to foreigners?

Or you must live in a parallel dimension than mine.

Goshn did well in pinpoint to the civilized world how brutal,racist and unjust can be their “justice” system.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites