In an in-depth interview published on 10 August 2025, Tokyo Reporter relayed Carlos Ghosn’s candid reflections from Beirut on what he calls Japan’s corrupt justice system and the orchestration of his escape. He asserts his arrest in November 2018 was a calculated move to neutralize him as the Renault–Nissan alliance’s architect, not a matter of corporate governance. According to Ghosn, Japanese prosecutors leveraged a 99.4% conviction rate through coercion, detaining him through back-to-back 21-day periods, pressuring for a confession in exchange for leniency toward his family, and enforcing bail with extreme restrictions like Nissan-paid surveillance cameras, all reinforcing that a fair trial was impossible The Tokyo Reporter.
He describes meticulously planning his exit, faking expectations, using unmonitored phones, disguises, and hiding in a speaker box to elude detection. He characterizes the system as “medieval”, highlighting lengthy interrogations without counsel, monitored interpreters, and one-sided evidence retention. His decision to flee was not from justice but from a judicial system he believed was rigged against him. Once free, he has continued to teach leadership, support legal challenges against Japan’s “hostage justice,” and state clearly: he will not return unless the system fundamentally changes and his own case is properly recognized The Tokyo Reporter.
August 10, 2025