Nissan CEO tells Tokyo court Ghosn had too much power

held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long.

How many Japanese CEOs and politicians does this apply to?

 that the company’s former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long.

Too long? Check other Japanese companies how many companies that have CEO even over 80s, Ghosn is only 65 when he was forced to leave his company.

Ghosn had too much power.

That's the motive for plotting against him.

I hope that all the plotters get 15 years in prison, not only the gaijin.

Did Saikawa also have too much power? Or is it only permissible for a Japanese company to bestow that much power on a Japanese?

Uchida said an atmosphere of fear prevailed at the company, with staff believing that challenging Ghosn carried serious risks.

So you made up some "charges" with the prosecutor and had him removed. This was clearly a stitch up.

Just 65 and that's deemed as being too old? As others have said, in Japan gerontocracy is the norm. Take the great leader (chairman) of my university, who is well into his 80s, and obviously senile. Yet nobody says a thing to challenge him as he runs the place into the ground. Ghosn saved Nissan, but as a Gaijin, was never accepted. That's the real issue.

Maybe he meant that he was in power for too long being a gaijin.

And also who put Goshn at the helm of the alliance?

Guilty or not that man totally saved Nissan from bankruptcy.

Sakaisawa and the other J-cronies from Nissan should go down too.

Uchida's predecessor, Hiroto Saikawa, resigned after he became embroiled in a scandal of his own, also related to under-reported compensation. Saikawa has not been charged.

Saikawa has not been charged. But Ghosn was held in prison for an extended period awaiting trial.

""Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told a Japanese court on Wednesday that the company's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long""

Too much power, but nothing beyond the rules set the by the board of directors, so that is NOT too much power.

The problem with Nissan is that they didn't know how to deal with a foreign CEO.

U forgot the part that he made nissan profitable, he is loved by the Japanese and most important, u all at nissan are very jealous of him.

Nissan CEO tells Tokyo court Ghosn had too much power

....for a foreigner.

Does imply "He had too much power and so, we had to remove him"

Hard to believe that a CEO would stand up and say Ghosn has too much power.

It show's the complete confidence he has knowing the system is backing Nissan. The whole world can see only the gaijins got charged.

How does Japan expect this to be interpreted? Do they have any idea how future high flying business people will think when offered a position in corporate Japan?

Ghosn was right in saying he would never get a fair trial.

Another case of seeing a Japanese CEO, a manager or Japanese person taking the company or Nippon viewpoint over any semblance of true self opinion, integrity or decision based on right and wrong, rather on bias and moving the goalposts for the status quo rules, both spoken and unspoken.

I've seen this tune happen too many times in the bullying culture of Japan. Has there ever been a time a Japanese manager stood up for a gaijin over his Japanese counterparts? I don't believe so, and I've seen the super serious expression on Uchida's face and it's such a silly stubborn optic of a person who doesn't know who he is or cares, as long as the company blurred line is held.

If one asked him to explain himself, he couldn't say anything other than the basic resultant decision. No self expression. Nothing creatively interesting or allowing a critical thinker to take this guy's decision seriously because he won't say anything that actually allows us to believe he is right and Ghosn is wrong.

There's no discussion or leeway, it's decided that this Uchida knows he has the Japanese backing and there's nothing he is not right about in his stubborn demeanor. That militaristic angry look sucks, but Japan Inc. has Uchida's brain and I feel sorry for this society that allows for him such unhappiness to not know what integrity is.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told a Japanese court on Wednesday that the company's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long.

Indeed !. Clearly Ghosn did not get the memo that the highest position for a gaijin in corporate Japan is - head of all gaijins .

Brilliant defense Uchida & Co.. why not admit that it was a power grab - while you are at it. The only power they may get is the ruin of Nissan.

While Ghosn is no saint - he walked the talk - revived Nissan from $35 billion in debt and sure bankruptcy. not to mention the GTR. Good luck attracting overseas talent with this line of defense.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told a Japanese court on Wednesday that the company's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long. Does this mean he was not bowing to the Japanese "Wa"?

Here it is, the real reason for everything that happened to Ghosn! The man who brought Nisan from brink of bankruptcy, but had too much power for their liking. Point here is that they were jealous because they were unable to do what he did. So they tried to destroy him. And now the company is going down the drain again. Hostile takeover might be in order and fire all the Japanese managers!

Ghosn has been charged, best he can do is come stand trial and give his point of view

Won't recommend that.

Kelly is doing that, and he's being abused to exhaustion.

3 years of trial, that might end on an arbitrary sentence by spring of next year.

Nissan CEO tells Tokyo court Ghosn had too much power

Well duh, we all know that the establishment at Nissan thought so, but how they get the justice system to the dirty work for them?

Snake in the grass. Uchida appeals to emotions.

Wake up and smell the arrogance from this guy. Agree with previous posters. Too long in charge...for a gaijin!

“The Nissan brand was tarnished, the workers were demoralized, and trust for management has been lost,”

Objection, your honor...

@kennyG

Ghosn saved Nissan? as a person? Think Twice.

It doesn't have to be Ghosn to slash employees into bloody bath

But now that he's gone, those people that don't have to be Ghosn is burning Nissan to the ground.

I have a feeling that Renault will dump Nissan and Mitsubishi and go with other more reliable world partners who aren't opaque. It's only money, after all.

And now the truth is out. As I suspected, this all happened because Ghosn broke Power Law no. 1.

"Law 1: Never outshine the master. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power. When it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all. Never take your position for granted and never let any favors you receive go to your head."

Makoto Uchida and the powers at Nissan could not take it. (Ghosn Versailles party etc). So he had to go, and be disgraced at the same time.

“The Nissan brand was tarnished, the workers were demoralized, and trust for management has been lost,” he said.

That's not because of what Ghosn "did". That's because you backstabbed an employee just so you can keep your jobs.

Uchida said an atmosphere of fear prevailed at the company, with staff believing that challenging Ghosn carried serious risks.

"We were only trying to play melodies that sounded good to our boss," he said. "I've been working to try to change that since becoming CEO."

Did he SERIOUSLY just say that?! :O

Japanese corporate culture never "challenges" the sempai-knows-best construct. All this sempai-kohai culture does is play melodies that sound good to the boss.

OH MY DAYS!! hahahahahahahahaha!!

1 thing we can be sure of, Uchida had a starring role in ousting Ghosn in such a way

If Ghosn had too much power, then the following questions arise:

(a) who gave him these powers? If someone, then for what reason and on what basis? Why was this not questioned? If he took them in some way, presumably illegally, then why was this not pointed out or reported to the autorities for suspicion of criminal behaviour?

(b) If he stayed too long, then on what grounds? Was it on the basis of some choice, or did he make himself an unlimited ruler? Then again, see a) - why didn't someone point this out or report it to the authorities if illegal actions took place?

How dare he!?

meanwhile...

Prosecutors drop case against all 100 recipients of ex-minister's bribes

We were only trying to play melodies that sounded good to our boss

Is it not what is happening in every facet here be it public or private company

the worst being the media that every body is scared and unable to speak their

mind or even hold an opposing view. Melodies, there is no country on this planet

that loves melodies more than Japan.

Nissan CEO tells Tokyo court Ghosn had too much power

No, in a normal court (not a Japanese court) the CEO "thought" that Ghosn had too much power.

Do stupid Japanese judges even question such sweeping statements.

“We were only trying to play the melodies that sounded good to our boss,” Uchida told the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday. “The lack of transparency led to the cause of the misconduct in question.

src: https://www.ft.com/content/7350a400-e162-47ed-b801-4b622aec2d06

Turn around the Nissan, make a profit first before you open you good for nothing trap. Trust me he'll do nothing of the sort, he'll just bow deeply at the next share holder meeting then make way for the next bozo.. rinse and repeat.

This trial is a sham and should not be joint with Kelly and Nissan all this should not be admissible for Kelly's trail. The prosecutors have not once focused on what Kelly has supposedly done. So far this is Nissan trying to justify them calling the cops on Ghosn.

Not Working Nissan you are starting to sound more like a bunch of reckless imbeciles

Another reason to cross Nissan off my list of possible vehicles for my next automobile.

Much like the Nissan GTR that he helped to bring back and make such a success of.

Do stupid Japanese judges even question such sweeping statements.

No. During hearing, they aren't even looking at the person speaking. They just stare into nothingness. It's so surreal.

Nissan and Toyota, a tale of two cities. One forever disgraced on nearly all fronts and the other a world leader in nearly all categories.

Makoto Uchida..A real piece of work!

The point that seems to be sorely missed in all of this is the gross injustice being done to Greg Kelly who clearly is guiltless. He has languished in Japan for nearly three years in a sham of a trial which was designed for Ghosn. But because Ghosn escaped from Japan the Japanese have to make darn sure that somebody pays, and since Kelly was the only non-Japanese executive at Nissan left to punish, it might as well be him.

The Japanese justice system is a pathetic joke. There is no honor in how the prosecutors have handled Greg Kelly and are pursuing him in a misguided, yet typical, effort to save face.

Of equal concern is this, "Why is the United States standing by and letting this happen to Greg Kelly?"

Well, too much power for Mr "sapling in the wind" Uchida, anyway.

Too much power, that little guy? How come without even detailed contract or no one at all? No, look at him, if ever too much power then only the big background that he has or can activate anytime.

Ghosn saved Nissan? as a person? Think Twice.

It doesn't have to be Ghosn to slash employees into bloody bath

@Trevorpeace

what makes you think that Renault is in a better position than Nissan?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/automobiles/nissan-carlos-ghosn-strategy.html

It's better if the people posting nonsense in the comment section here read this article to know how exactly Ghosn destroyed Nissan. Especially you @bokuda.

I'm sure you must have already read this but seems like you're having fun dissing Nissan's management just because it's based in Japan.

What exactly saves Nissan were financial institutions backed up by J Gov, which was result of business partnership and capital tie-up with Renault. Nothing more Nothing less.

While the management of Nissan might be at fault, It'd would be foolish to not acknowledge how stupid Ghosn's strategy was. He's a brilliant guy who did great in 90's and 2000's but after that, he messed up. Especially after the global financial crisis. He's a human after all.