Ghosn Escapes!

[Russell]

Word has it that the explosion was equivalent to about 1/5th the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

[Grumpy Gramps]

Tens of thousands sign petition to place Lebanon under French mandate

Chance for Ghosn: With his portfolio of successes with Renault/Nissan, it would be a waste of talent to let him sit around in Beirut twiddling his thumbs and he is French as well. Ideal candidate for the,,,,hmm, how does one call someone who runs a mandate? Great Mandator? Mandatork?

OTOH, what does Lebanon have that might make France interested enough to consider taking in that PITA?

[Taka-Okami]

Jap's trying out their space weapon on Ghosn hide out!

[Mike Oxlong]

https://carlosghosn.info/?lang=en is live now, coinciding with the release of his book tomorrow.

[matsuki]

https://carlosghosn.info/?lang=en is live now, coinciding with the release of his book tomorrow.

I wonder how/if the release of the book will effect the ongoing trial in J-land. (or the "outside Japan, doesn't count" rule applies)

[Taro Toporific]

... effect the ongoing trial in J-land. (or the "outside Japan, doesn't count" rule applies)

I work on the Ghosen case (English/French translations) for the Tokyo Courts. Last month I was told that I should NOT to expect any further work. Yep, the, "outside Japan, doesn't count" rule applies."

[matsuki]

Sounds reasonable!

I hope the book ends up bringing down the international human rights hammer on Japanese "justice."

[matsuki]

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20 ... na/159000c

Legal repercussions of the scandal at Tokyo-based Nissan over alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation and breach of trust have fallen only on Kelly and on Nissan itself, which is not fighting the charges and has paid a fine. None of the other executives testifying in the case have been charged.

Blame the gaijin...

Prosecutors have sought to show Kelly, who became the first American to join Nissan Motor Co.'s board in 2012, violated financial reporting laws even though none of the plans the Nissan management considered were ever acted upon or decided.

In cross-examining Wednesday, Ohnuma told the court that Kelly did not know how much Ghosn was paid, as that was highly confidential at Nissan. The testimony suggested Kelly played a minor role in being consulted to study legal ways to pay Ghosn.

Ghosn and Kelly were arrested in November 2018 before any decisions on the compensation plans were made. Auditors and tax authorities started raising questions and nothing was acted on, according to the court testimony.

...for thought "crimes?" When he was consulted by his own employer for "legal" payment methods?

Prosecution for falsifying financial reports is rare in Japan and the charges lie in a gray area, according to some legal experts. If convicted, Kelly faces up to 15 years in prison on multiple counts of the charge of falsifying securities statements. Japan has a 99% conviction rate. Kelly's trial is expected to last about a year.

...with rare moves in charges in a gray area?

There is no question that Greg Kelly is a victim of a very serious injustice," Givens said. "He was just one member of a team that was trying to come up with a solution."

All that shared pain bullshit goes out the window when there's a gaijin to blame.

[Grumpy Gramps]

No matter, how guilty Ghosn is, he did the right thing by running. Kelly should have, too.

[matsuki]

No matter, how guilty Ghosn is, he did the right thing by running. Kelly should have, too.

THIS

The type of "We Japanese logic" that allows arrests to be made for theoretical/potential crimes that never took place is simply fucked. Add to that the arrests for supposed crimes that were beyond the statute of limitations because time outside Japan doesn't count and the hostage justice system and you've got a mafia-like situation where anyone can be arrested for "the possibility" of a crime.

[Mike Oxlong]

Interesting video report: https://forensic-architecture.org/inves ... -explosion

[matsuki]

That report is amazing, makes it easy for anyone to understand that....

multiple layers of state negligence which led to this tragic explosion

[Wage Slave]

That report is amazing, makes it easy for anyone to understand that....

multiple layers of state negligence which led to this tragic explosion

It is true the state failed to enforce regulations but the fertilizer was owned by a businessman and transported to Lebanon by him. And the fireworks and tyres also had owners did they not? So yes, the state failed but one of the things they failed to do was to regulate business and business doesn't respect health and safety unless it is forced to.

[matsuki]

That report is amazing, makes it easy for anyone to understand that....

multiple layers of state negligence which led to this tragic explosion

It is true the state failed to enforce regulations but the fertilizer was owned by a businessman and transported to Lebanon by him. And the fireworks and tyres also had owners did they not? So yes, the state failed but one of the things they failed to do was to regulate business and business doesn't respect health and safety unless it is forced to.

You can try to "force" businesses to comply or you can incentivize businesses to comply. Either way, the majority of the blame here lies with the state for building a warehouse-sized bomb.

[Mike Oxlong]

Japanese Gov't Says It Depends On Your Definition of Hoomin

A panel of human rights experts working with the United Nations said Monday that former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was wrongly detained in Japan and has urged “compensation” for him from the Japanese government.

The Japanese government denounced the report as a “totally unacceptable” viewpoint that will change nothing in the country's legal process...

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/H ... mpensation

[Grumpy Gramps]

Time to sponsor an equestrian statue of Ghosn in front of Nissan headquarters?

[matsuki]

https://www.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/WopiF ... ItemOpen=1

Japan: Everything done was appropriate, you can't prove otherwise!!

The findings: Repeated abuse of the detention laws by prosecutors, multiple rejections without explanations, authorities utilizing media to create public bias

[Coligny]

Just add to french gov looking the other to the soup...

Someone have insider contact at Blackwater ? Got a governement to decapitate but they don't answer my emails since I asked them if they accepted paypal... at this point any mercenaries will do. Lowball estimate would be 15-20 people to murder, decapitation prefered. I case of volume discount we run easily into the 50+ numbers...

[matsuki]

Events unexpectedly made Kelly the main event -- over a dubious charge that was always the weakest card in the prosecution's hand.

The stakes for the prosecutors could not be higher. Dismissal of the charges would be a devastating loss of face that would allow Ghosn to crow from his hideout in Beirut, "See, I told you I was innocent." Unfortunately for Kelly, Japanese prosecutors rarely lose, and even more rarely when it is a must-win case.

What does it say about a criminal justice system that ruins a man's life for what was, at most, an error of judgment?

The way in which Ghosn and Kelly were arrested and detained has already exposed Japan's justice system to deserved criticism.

The prosecutors' first wrong turn was to accept President Saikawa's invitation to use the criminal code to stage a palace coup against Ghosn and his plan to merge Nissan into Renault. For a First World country, this was an alarming abuse of state power to take sides in what should have been a non-criminal shareholder and corporate governance issue.

The prolonged detention of Ghosn and Kelly on technical charges to induce a confession or pry out evidence of additional wrongdoing exposed to the world Japan's hostage justice system at odds with basic protections for criminal suspects such as habeas corpus and the right against self-incrimination.

Now the prosecutors have painted themselves into a corner that can only shed more bad light on the quality of justice in Japan.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Greg-Ke ... o-a-corner

[matsuki]

Extradition flap
At the time, Nissan executive Hari Nada, working with Japanese prosecutors under a plea-bargain deal, called Kelly at his home near Nashville, telling him he was needed in Japan for urgent business. Nada even had Nissan hire a charter jet to fetch him.

"This is a violation of the U.S.-Japanese extradition treaty," Kelly attorney James Wareham said. "He was lied to by a private actor who was acting on the direction of the state of Japan."

Aside from Kelly, who was a senior human resources executive with Nissan, a small army of other executives and managers was wrapped up in the work, according to court testimony.

That emerging picture has opened an as-yet-unanswered question as to why the American executive was singled out for Japanese prosecution.

Blame the gaijin in effect?

https://www.autonews.com/executives/kel ... n-set-trap

[Coligny]

That would be funny if it didn't kill Nissan...

[matsuki]

That would be funny if it didn't kill Nissan...

In true Japanese fashion, Nissan is committing suicide...only they can't even get that right. Shoot themselves in the head (Ghosn) and then gut themselves afterwards. (look at that stock...wow) Maybe they can spin off the "Leaf" (and Arya) into a new electric vehicle brand? Gas/diesel market is closing much sooner than even I thought.

[Russell]

I am in the market for a new car (or so the Missus says).

Nissan looks like a nice option, but it seems their quality has degraded under cost-cutter Ghosn.

Add to that the recent shenanigans, and I wonder whether Nissan will cease to exist within a decade.

So, nope, buying a Nissan not an option, maybe.

[Taro Toporific]

... nope, buying a Nissan not an option, maybe.

Any car is good enough*, just as long as it is not Chinese-run Volvo's,"9 Days of Winter FEAR."

winter-fear.jpg

via @dwvcd

*Most likely, all new cars will electric and self driving in ten years time--You are only buying a stop-gap vehicle that will obsolete/banned before it is worn out.

[Russell]

*Most likely, all new cars will electric and self driving in ten years time--You are only buying a stop-gap vehicle that will obsolete/banned before it is worn out.

That is what I am trying to convince the Missus of. My Honda STPWGN has passed the 22 year mark this year, and I hope to make the full 25 years. It seems some parts for repairs may not be available anymore. Or so, according to my Honda dealer. But they may be trying to sell me a new car. Getting fucking tiresome to hear the talk from their mechanics that it may not pass the next Shakken, blah blah.

It may be a good idea to buy a 10-year old car if my current gives up. Cheap, and it will allow me to bridge the gap to when more sustainable models are available.

My commute is now completely by car due to Covid, and I like it, since it halves the required time. Since I typically speed at 120-130 km/h I may want to find a car with more safety features. Mileage of my STPWGN at that speed is not that bad, at around 10 km / liter, and I can get to 12 km / liter when cruising at 70 km/h (stopped trying the latter, though ). The new all-gasoline STPWGN is rated at 8 km / liter. It's hybrid version seems to be doing 16 km / liter, but not as good as that on the highway. So much for progress.

[matsuki]

*Most likely, all new cars will electric and self driving in ten years time--You are only buying a stop-gap vehicle that will obsolete/banned before it is worn out.

That is what I am trying to convince the Missus of. My Honda STPWGN has passed the 22 year mark this year, and I hope to make the full 25 years. It seems some parts for repairs may not be available anymore. Or so, according to my Honda dealer. But they may be trying to sell me a new car. Getting fucking tiresome to hear the talk from their mechanics that it may not pass the next Shakken, blah blah.

Taro has the right of it for sure.

That STPWGN has been well loved. I would be looking at a Model 3 or Y in your case, depending on that suits your needs. I have a CyberTruck on order but not likely to be made til 2022 and may not be soo Japanese road friendly. My Land Cruiser will do until then. (8-9km/L with smooth driving....and 10jpy/L less with Costco Gas) There are more and more charging stations every month...but I always need to point out to the naysayers, you'll likely never need them for your daily grind. They're for extended trips. When you consider the saving on fuel/maintenance (both money and time! No trips to fuel up or service appts) and then factor in unusually small depreciation, picking up a Tesla is a no brainer. Particularly if you're planning on keeping it 20+ years.

[Russell]

*Most likely, all new cars will electric and self driving in ten years time--You are only buying a stop-gap vehicle that will obsolete/banned before it is worn out.

That is what I am trying to convince the Missus of. My Honda STPWGN has passed the 22 year mark this year, and I hope to make the full 25 years. It seems some parts for repairs may not be available anymore. Or so, according to my Honda dealer. But they may be trying to sell me a new car. Getting fucking tiresome to hear the talk from their mechanics that it may not pass the next Shakken, blah blah.

Taro has the right of it for sure.

That STPWGN has been well loved. I would be looking at a Model 3 or Y in your case, depending on that suits your needs. I have a CyberTruck on order but not likely to be made til 2022 and may not be soo Japanese road friendly. My Land Cruiser will do until then. (8-9km/L with smooth driving....and 10jpy/L less with Costco Gas) There are more and more charging stations every month...but I always need to point out to the naysayers, you'll likely never need them for your daily grind. They're for extended trips. When you consider the saving on fuel/maintenance (both money and time! No trips to fuel up or service appts) and then factor in unusually small depreciation, picking up a Tesla is a no brainer. Particularly if you're planning on keeping it 20+ years.

Electric vehicles contain much less parts than their gasoline-driven counterparts, and indeed I expect less maintenance costs. Their weak point is still the battery, which likely needs to be replaced in 10 years time. That may change in 5 or so years, but we are not there yet.

I have been looking at Teslas too. A bit above budget, and it is an American car (with all its negative connotations on quality, sorry), albeit not from the traditional American car makers. And, in the end, I want a van. Nissan stopped selling their e-nv200 electric van a couple of years back, but it would not qualify anyway, because its battery capacity is very limited. There are second-hand versions available from 2015-2017 selling for around 1.5 million yen. However, I fear its distance coverage is less in practice than my commute of 200 km (two-way).

[Coligny]

Diesel on expressway (tier 1 vet is next city most days)
Leave house with trip computer expected range on current fuel tank level 420km
Round trip back home with trip computer now indicating expected remaining range of +600km

[matsuki]

Coligny is spot on with diesel being the best stop gap...but that's all it is, a stop gap

Electric vehicles contain much less parts than their gasoline-driven counterparts, and indeed I expect less maintenance costs. Their weak point is still the battery, which likely needs to be replaced in 10 years time. That may change in 5 or so years, but we are not there yet.

I have been looking at Teslas too. A bit above budget, and it is an American car (with all its negative connotations on quality, sorry), albeit not from the traditional American car makers. And, in the end, I want a van. Nissan stopped selling their e-nv200 electric van a couple of years back, but it would not qualify anyway, because its battery capacity is very limited. There are second-hand versions available from 2015-2017 selling for around 1.5 million yen. However, I fear its distance coverage is less in practice than my commute of 200 km (two-way).

Where are you pulling the 10year lifespan on the batteries from? The new Tesla 4860 cells are supposed to be the "million mile batteries" but are not being promoted as such as to not affect sales of the other battery types currently on offer. The 4860 is being used for the Semi-trucks, CyberTruck, and Euro-made vehicles coming out of the new German factory. (eventually most models will have them though the chemistry will differ) The current battery packs seem to be holding up longer and better than predicted so I think 10 years is erroring too generously on the safe side. Regardless, they can be replaced, just like the main screen/hardware, as the tech progresses. I imagine by the time it needs replacing, the replacements on offer will make it more of an upgrade than just maintenance.

The initial quality issues with the 3 and Y seemed to have already been ironed out but seem to happen with the first lots of the new models. The difference is, the issues are addressed now, rather than waiting for the next design change, etc. like is SOP at the legacy automakers. So yeah, you're accepting that risk with a newly released model (like I am with the CyberTruck) but not as much as with the other established models that have had issues remedied. The longer you can wait, the better, but at some point it's just not rational to buy another "new" gas vehicle.

Nissan was refusing to water-cool their EV's until their most recent Arya so buying a used Nissan EV you really need to consider the battery pack will need to be replaced. That can be done and improved on, maybe even with a reasonable budget, but they look like a hikkikomori's graduation to child molester van present. I'd love to convert an awesome van or sportscar to electric but those solutions are slowly coming out and no need to try to pioneer that on your own.

As to Vans...

East of LA, San Bernardino (Where long lost FG member Catone might be residing?) has OK'd a Boring Company tunnel for the local airport.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/04/ ... -go-ahead/

Why is this relevent? One of the officials involved accidentally slipped up and mentioned a high capacity (12 seat) van from TESLA was part of the approved plan. Might see them in use in LV first but add this slip up to Musk's comments about how large a market vans are and we know this is coming in the near future. Not likely to be tunnel specific, they are all about producing vehicles at scale to maximize efficiency and keep costs low. To be honest, would be very hard for me not to place a preorder for a CyberVan if they announced it. (assuming they try to employ the same SpaceX metal origami production for the van) I can only imagine how awesome that will be....

[Coligny]

Yea, Rudolph Diesel always build his stuff as stop gap because of the frustration he had waiting for electric jeesus to be born...

If only there was clean ways to make electricity to run all those cars...