Japan Scandal Inc.

[wuchan]

I'm beginning to think this is an attempt to wrestle control of Nissan away form the french.

[Mike Oxlong]

Greg Kelly finally got out...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tokyo-cour ... 1545718892

[Taro Toporific]

HAPPY NEW YEAR GHOSN-san!!~

Tokyo court approves another detention of ex-Nissan boss Ghosn, until Jan 11
japantoday.com | Dec. 31. 2018
....(Ghosn) was served a fresh arrest warrant on Dec 21 for allegedly transferring personal investment losses worth 1.85 billion yen ($17 million) to the Japanese automaker in 2008.
Ghosn has denied the allegations. The previous deadline for his current detention period had been set on Jan 1.
More...

[matsuki]

Apparently the statue of limitations is seven years, making 2015 the limit for charging him with that crime, but the prosecutors position is the time he spent out of Japan doesn't count.

That is a seriously fucked way of thinking. Would that really hold up in court in Japan?

Apparently, Japan is in another dimension when it's legally convenient.

[Russell]

Carlos Ghosn says 'no' to signing confession, to 'vigorously' fight charges

Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn refused to sign a confession in return for being released from custody, his son told a French newspaper Sunday, and will “vigorously” defend himself in a Japanese court this week.

The former Nissan chief, who has been held since his shock arrest in November on allegations of financial misconduct, is due to appear in a Japanese court Tuesday to hear the reasons for his detention.

He will give his version of events for the first time, his son Anthony told the French weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD).

The father of four has gone from heading a powerful international auto alliance to languishing in a Tokyo detention center, where his stay has been repeatedly extended.

Anthony told the JDD that his father would be released if he signed a confession.

He can “tell the prosecutor that he is contesting the charges or instead he could confess and be released. For seven weeks his decision has been quite clear,” he said.

“The paradox is that the confession he has been asked to sign is written only in Japanese,” adding that his father does not understand it.

He added that the defense does not yet have a complete file on the case.

More

Gonna be interesting, to say the least...

[Grumpy Gramps]

I didn't know, but suspected that Ghosn doesn't read Japanese. The companies' aparatchiks were able to do whatever the hell they wanted directly underneath Ghosn's nose, without him having the slightest whiff of a clue, what was going on. Very well possible that he was framed in open daylight.

I think, it is almost like a miracle that Ghosn was able to be the chief of Japanese companies for so long like that. He must have had very trustworthy sidekicks,,, in the past.

[jingai]

I think a guy at that level would have his own interpreters/translators working for him. Don't senior people get to choose their personal staff? I doubt he was railroaded by the company.

[Mike Oxlong]

Apparently the statue of limitations is seven years, making 2015 the limit for charging him with that crime, but the prosecutors position is the time he spent out of Japan doesn't count.

That is a seriously fucked way of thinking. Would that really hold up in court in Japan?

Apparently, Japan is in another dimension when it's legally convenient.

Chugoku mitai!

[matsuki]

I doubt he was railroaded by the company.

The fact that NISSAN brass went directly to the authorities on something like this (and that the company itself is being investigated) should be enough indication that he's being railroaded. Interesting to see how this mess will pan out. I'm just hoping this whole repeat rearrest and detain bullshit finally has enough attention drawn to it to effect some change. (not holding my breath but if there is ever a high profile case that brings it to light, it's this....and the fact he is refusing to sign a confession)

[matsuki]

Chugoku mitai!

China is on another level when comes to tracking/making people disappear.

[Mike Oxlong]

Chugoku mitai!

China is on another level when comes to tracking/making people disappear.

Yes, but the basic "justice system" works fairly similarly. No lawyers present during police interrogation, repeated extensions of detention for up to 30ish days, and so on.

https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/201 ... ce-powers/

[matsuki]

So much for unique Japaneezu coercive "justice."

In the same vein, over the holidays one of my friends got knockdafuqout by her boyfriend at a local shopping mall right in front of the cashier. Dude just lost his shit at something she said and gave her a full reach back fist to the side of her head. No doubt of dumb shit girls say but dayam....Police/Ambulance show up and they did everything in their power to avoid filing any police report. They "threatened" her with how much inconvenience it would cause her family until she finally gave in and just let him walk. Justice served Japanese style!

[Mike Oxlong]

So much for unique Japaneezu coercive "justice."

In the same vein, over the holidays one of my friends got knockdafuqout by her boyfriend at a local shopping mall right in front of the cashier. Dude just lost his shit at something she said and gave her a full reach back fist to the side of her head. No doubt of dumb shit girls say but dayam....Police/Ambulance show up and they did everything in their power to avoid filing any police report. They "threatened" her with how much inconvenience it would cause her family until she finally gave in and just let him walk. Justice served Japanese style!

You should offer to teach him how to play hockey.

[matsuki]

So much for unique Japaneezu coercive "justice."

In the same vein, over the holidays one of my friends got knockdafuqout by her boyfriend at a local shopping mall right in front of the cashier. Dude just lost his shit at something she said and gave her a full reach back fist to the side of her head. No doubt of dumb shit girls say but dayam....Police/Ambulance show up and they did everything in their power to avoid filing any police report. They "threatened" her with how much inconvenience it would cause her family until she finally gave in and just let him walk. Justice served Japanese style!

You should offer to teach him how to play hockey.

I'd rather push him in front of a train. Rule it a suicide, less paperwork.

[matsuki]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... apperance-

“I have always acted with integrity and have never been accused of any wrongdoing in my several-decade professional career. I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations,” the 64-year-old, whose hair was greying at the roots, told a packed courtroom.

He added: “Contrary to the accusations made by the prosecutors, I never received any compensation from Nissan that was not disclosed, nor did I ever enter into any binding contract with Nissan to be paid a fixed amount that was not disclosed.”

His lawyer had demanded the court justify his client’s continued detention in connection with a case that has shaken the Japanese carmaker’s alliance with Renault and prompted criticism of Japan’s treatment of suspects.

http://www.freeghosn.com/

[Mike Oxlong]

ようこそTOKYO２０２０へ

[matsuki]

ようこそTOKYO２０２０へ

Great marketing for tourism...possibility of being arrested with no charges and be rearrested/held indefinitely. Between this and the restart of commercial whaling, Tokyo 2020 is going to be a bigger fuck up than we could have ever have imagined.

[Mike Oxlong]

And the press conference I just watched on the FCCJ YouTube livestream will add fuel to the fire.

[matsuki]

And the press conference I just watched on the FCCJ YouTube livestream will add fuel to the fire.

Can you enlighten us on what happened there?

[Mike Oxlong]

And the press conference I just watched on the FCCJ YouTube livestream will add fuel to the fire.

Can you enlighten us on what happened there?

Off the top of my head, the biggest thing was that Ghosn is likely to spend the next six months or so in jail until the trial begins. That's if he is formally indicted on breech of trust charges later in the week, and the customary denial of bail happens. Other tidbits include that the Nissan CFO and lawyers were consulted for the various transactions he has been accused of taking unilaterally and illegally, and that he was not solely in charge of various company funds he has been accused of misusing. Apparently the prosecutors have all the Nissan paperwork relating to this, so we don't need to worry about *Nissan* tampering with evidence (further).

[matsuki]

Off the top of my head, the biggest thing was that Ghosn is likely to spend the next six months or so in jail until the trial begins. That's if he is formally indicted on breech of trust charges later in the week, and the customary denial of bail happens.

I can see it now....denial of bail "because gaijin" with multiple passports thrown in for good measure (cause extradition and the principle of dual criminality are off the table?) I kinda wonder if France, seeing they have quite a stake in this situation, may step in before Ghosn ends up another dead gaijin in Japanese detention. If the dude has lost as much weight as I've read, that's not good.

Other tidbits include that the Nissan CFO and lawyers were consulted for the various transactions he has been accused of taking unilaterally and illegally, and that he was not solely in charge of various company funds he has been accused of misusing. Apparently the prosecutors have all the Nissan paperwork relating to this, so we don't need to worry about *Nissan* tampering with evidence (further).

Obviously have to see what actually comes of all this mess but it's looking more and more like a really mangled attempt to keep Nissan under local control. I'm starting to think he might not be indicted though...

[Mike Oxlong]

I saw Adelstein in the audience, so there should be something on The Daily Beast in a while. I just checked, he did live tweet it. You're best bet is to check his Twitter.

[Taro Toporific]

I saw Adelstein in the audience, so there should be something on The Daily Beast in a while. I just checked, he did live tweet it. You're best bet is to check his Twitter.

The Lament Of Carlos Ghosn: The Man Who Loved Nissan Has His Day In Court
japansubculture.com (Jake Adelstein) | January 8, 2019
The former Chairman of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, made his first public appearance since his arrest in November of 2018, today in Japanese court. He discusses his innocence his love for the company that betrayed him and disputed the charges he is facing in court. The statement was read in English.
Statement of Carlos Ghosn
Your Honor,
I am grateful to finally have the opportunity to speak publicly. I look forward to beginning the process of defending myself against the accusations that have been made against me.
First, let me say that I have a genuine love and appreciation for Nissan. I believe strongly that in all of my efforts on behalf of the company, I have acted honorably, legally, and with the knowledge and approval of the appropriate executives inside the company—with the sole purpose of supporting and strengthening Nissan, and helping to restore its place as one of Japan’s finest and most respected companies.
Now I would like to address the allegations.
Blah, blah, blah...

[Wage Slave]

Fine but he doesn't specifically address the allegation of tax dodging which if memory serves was where it all started.

[Mike Oxlong]

HIs lawyer stated that those charges were without merit, and were merely a pretense to arrest and begin the investigation.

[Russell]

Here is the full statement by Ghosn:

January 7, 2019

Statement of Carlos Ghosn

Your Honor,

I am grateful to finally have the opportunity to speak publicly. I look forward to beginning the process of defending myself against the accusations that have been made against me.

First, let me say that I have a genuine love and appreciation for Nissan. I believe strongly that in all of my efforts on behalf of the company, I have acted honorably, legally, and with the knowledge and approval of the appropriate executives inside the company—with the sole purpose of supporting and strengthening Nissan, and helping to restore its place as one of Japan's finest and most respected companies.

Now I would like to address the allegations.

1.​The FX Forward contracts

When I first joined Nissan and moved to Japan almost 20 years ago, I wanted to be paid in U.S. dollars, but was told that that was not possible and was given an employment contract that required me to be paid in Japanese yen. I have long been concerned about the volatility of the yen relative to the U.S. dollar. I am a U.S. dollar-based individual—my children live in the U.S. and I have strong ties to Lebanon, whose currency has a fixed exchange rate against the U.S. dollar. I wanted predictability in my income in order to help me take care of my family.

To deal with this issue, I entered into foreign exchange contracts throughout my tenure at Nissan, beginning in 2002. Two such contracts are at issue in this proceeding. One was signed in 2006, when the Nissan stock price was around 1500 yen and the yen/dollar rate was around 118. The other was signed in 2007, when the Nissan stock price was around 1400 yen and the yen/dollar exchange rate was around 114.

The 2008–2009 financial crisis caused Nissan's shares to plummet to 400 yen in October 2008 and to 250 yen in February 2009 (down more than 80% from its peak) and the yen/dollar exchange rate dropped below 80. It was a perfect storm that no one predicted. The entire banking system was frozen, and the bank asked for an immediate increase in my collateral on the contracts, which I could not satisfy on my own.

I was faced with two stark choices:

1. Resign from Nissan, so that I could receive my retirement allowance, which I could then use to provide the necessary collateral. But my moral commitment to Nissan would not allow me to step down during that crucial time; a captain doesn't jump ship in the middle of a storm.

2. Ask Nissan to temporarily take on the collateral, so long as it came to no cost to the company, while I gathered collateral from my other sources.

I chose option 2. The FX contracts were then transferred back to me without Nissan incurring any loss.

2.​Khaled Juffali

Khaled Juffali has been a long-time supporter and partner of Nissan. During a very difficult period, Khaled Juffali Company helped Nissan solicit financing and helped Nissan solve a complicated problem involving a local distributor—indeed, Juffali helped Nissan restructure struggling distributors throughout the Gulf region, enablingNissan to better compete with rivals like Toyota, which was outperforming Nissan. Juffali also assisted Nissan in negotiating the development of a manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, organizing high-level meetings with Saudi officials.

Khaled Juffali Company was appropriately compensated—an amount disclosed to and approved by the appropriate officers at Nissan—in exchange for these critical services that substantially benefited Nissan.

3.​The FIEL Allegations

Four major companies sought to recruit me while I was CEO of Nissan, including Ford (by Bill Ford) and General Motors (by Steve Rattner, the then-Car Czar under President Barack Obama). Even though their proposals were very attractive, I could not in good conscience abandon Nissan while we were in the midst of ourturnaround. Nissan is an iconic Japanese company that I care about deeply. Although I chose not to pursue the other opportunities, I did keep a record of the market compensation for my role, which those companies offeredme if I had taken these jobs. This was an internal benchmark that I kept for my own future reference—it had no legal effect; it was never shared with the directors; and it never represented any kind of binding commitment. Infact, the various proposals for non-compete and advisory services post-retirement made by some members of the board did not reflect or reference my internal calculations, underscoring their hypothetical, non-binding nature.

Contrary to the accusations made by the prosecutors, I never received any compensation from Nissan that was not disclosed, nor did I ever enter into any binding contract with Nissan to be paid a fixed amount that was not disclosed. Moreover, I understood that any draft proposals for post-retirement compensation were reviewed by internal and external lawyers, showing I had no intent to violate the law. For me, the test is the "death test": if I died today, could my heirs require Nissan to pay anything other than my retirement allowance? The answer is an unequivocal "No."

4.​Contribution to Nissan

I have dedicated two decades of my life to reviving Nissan and building the Alliance. I worked toward these goals day and night, on the earth and in the air, standing shoulder to shoulder with hardworking Nissan employees around the globe, to create value. The fruits of our labors have been extraordinary. We transformed Nissan, moving it from a position of a debt of 2 trillion yen in 1999 to cash of 1.8 trillion yen at the end of 2006, from 2.5 million cars sold in 1999 at a significant loss to 5.8 million cars sold profitably in 2016. Nissan's asset base tripled during the period. We saw the revival of icons like the Fairlady Z and Nissan G-TR; Nissan's industrial entry into Wuhon, China, St. Petersburg, Russia, Chennai, India, and Resende, Brazil; the pioneering of a mass market for electric cars with the Leaf; the jumpstarting of autonomous cars; the introduction of Mitsubishi Motors to the Alliance; and the Alliance becoming the number one auto group in the world in 2017, producing more than 10 million cars annually. We created,directly and indirectly, countless jobs in Japan and reestablished Nissan as a pillar of the Japanese economy.

These accomplishments—secured alongside the peerless team of Nissan employees worldwide—are the greatest joy of my life, next to my family.

5.​Conclusion

Your Honor, I am an innocent of the accusations made against me. I have always acted with integrity and have never been accused of any wrongdoing in my several-decade professional career. I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations.

Thank you, your Honor, for listening to me.

[Mike Oxlong]

And here is Mr. Jake Adelstein's description of and take on the case.

http://www.atimes.com/article/nissans-g ... ry-charge/

One of his Twitter posts was quite interesting.

https://twitter.com/jakeadelstein/statu ... 8282237952

[matsuki]

One of his Twitter posts was quite interesting.

https://twitter.com/jakeadelstein/statu ... 8282237952

At the very basic level this seems like what is going on. Of course, once the J-legal machine goes to work, truth and reason are no longer priority...but without a confession, I am thinking they won't want to see this through considering the world is watching...and he won't even get a gomen na for the unjustified time in detention.

On August 1 in 2015, Mark Karpeles, former CEO of the now-defunct Mt. Gox, a bitcoin exchange that went bankrupt after 650,000 bitcoins (worth nearly $400 million) were stolen, was arrested on minor charges of illegal electronic transfers.

Japanese police and prosecutors believed that he had stolen the coins himself. He was re-arrested twice on other charges and interrogated every day for six to eight hours. The police pressed him to admit to stealing or siphoning off the coins. He was eventually given bail in 2016.

While his trial was ongoing, US authorities captured a suspect in Greece who appears to be the real hacker of Mt. Gox, Russian national Alexander Vinnik. Vinnik is set to be extradited this year. But Japanese prosecutors have refused to allow any evidence in that case to be entered as evidence, claiming “the filings of US prosecutors are unreliable.”

Karpeles faces a verdict on March 15, on charges which have nothing to do with the original theft.

Never heard how this was going...that's just...fuck

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[Grumpy Gramps]

Whoever has Ghosn's jitsuin, could now make bundles by selling some fiddled "evidence" to the highest bidder. Or maybe theiy're already at it, just need a little more time to make all the stories fit neatly.

[matsuki]

Whoever has Ghosn's jitsuin, could now make bundles by selling some fiddled "evidence" to the highest bidder. Or maybe theiy're already at it, just need a little more time to make all the stories fit neatly.

I want to laugh....but that type of shit is common enough that I know people who had (mostly ex spouses) pull it off with absolutely nothing that could be done after the fact. Having just notarized a document in California, the standard there is now both a signature and a thumbprint. (and I didn't even have to go to the local city office to get a recent print out showing my thumb print is registered)