January 10, 2020

Akahata ‘current’ column

Hiding in a box and dodging the security check at the airport, he secretly left Japan on a private jet. This is not a scene from a spy movie. Ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was charged with aggravated breach of trust and was out on bail, illegally escaped to Lebanon. What did he want to accomplish with such a risky venture? In the spotlight, he held a press conference on January 8, but he just criticized Japan’s legal system and claimed innocence.

Ghosn insisted that he did not escape justice, he fled injustice and persecution. While insisting on his innocence and calling his case a plot by Nissan executives and Japanese prosecutors, he did not present any concrete evidence. If he is so confident of his innocence, he should prove it in court.

Ghosn is alleged to have misused Nissan’s funds and assets for his own interests. In this background lies the company’s nature with which it had praised Ghosn as a charismatic leader, provided him with generous remuneration, and turned a blind eye to his wrongdoings.

Headed by Ghosn, Nissan closed down many factories and discharged a large number of workers under the banner of “reform”. The auto company also pushed forward with its globalization scheme and moved car plants to other countries in order to take advantage of cheaper labor costs. Nissan maintains this stance to put profit-seeking before workers’ health and safety.

Ghosn and Nissan appear to embody the exploitative nature of capitalism that is willing to do anything to maximize profits without taking notice of economic disparities and workers’ human rights. It is questionable whether they truly understand what justice is.

Past related articles:
> Nissan Chairman Ghosn arrested for falsifying financial reports [November 20, 2018]
> Ghosn the 'Cost Cutter' [November 20, 2018]