News On Japan

Ghosn 'deceived' directors to hide personal losses

Dec 24, 2018 (NHK) - Sources say former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn deceived the board of directors to obtain their approval for transferring the latent losses from his personal currency trading to the automaker.

Tokyo prosecutors served another arrest warrant on Ghosn on Friday on suspicion of aggravated breach of trust.

He is suspected of transferring the trading rights to Nissan after his asset management firm incurred unrealized losses of about 16 million dollars during the 2008 global financial crisis.

The asset management company had a contract for currency swap deals with Tokyo-based Shinsei Bank.

Sources say when the bank requested additional collateral, Ghosn proposed shifting the trading rights to Nissan.

The bank then asked him to obtain the approval of Nissan's board.

Sources say Ghosn had the board approve the plan without disclosing that it was related to his personal trading. The directors were reportedly told that a senior official at the company secretary's office, who was Ghosn's close aide, would be in charge of the currency trading.

Ghosn's lawyer quotes him as saying he briefly shifted the trading rights to Nissan, but did not cause any damage to the automaker because he shouldered the losses that were incurred during that period. The former chairman denies the allegation of aggravated breach of trust.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japan experienced widespread thunderstorms, strong winds and sudden downpours on October 14 as a cold front swept across the country, while the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a tropical depression south of Japan could develop into Typhoon No. 30 within 24 hours, marking the first time in 13 years that the annual typhoon count has reached 30.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yana submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the evening of October 14 over a controversy involving shuttle buses and other issues, prompting Takaichi to acknowledge her responsibility for appointing him and announce plans to name a successor on October 15.

Japan's first Disney cruise ship will be named "Disney Imagination," with Oriental Land and its partners planning to launch the service in spring 2029, offering a new Disney-themed travel experience departing from Tokyo.

Tokyo's 23 wards have decided to establish a new small-scale public crematorium to address rising fees at privately operated facilities and growing concerns that cremation capacity could become insufficient around 2040 as the city's aging population drives up the number of deaths.

Japan is facing a growing wave of cyberattacks as advances in artificial intelligence remove the language barrier that once made Japanese companies difficult targets for overseas hackers, with more than 68 million personal records potentially exposed in a series of security incidents over the past two weeks.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Three people, including a former chief priest, have been arrested over the alleged takeover of a historic Buddhist temple in central Kyoto, with investigators suspecting they sold temple-owned land and buildings without authorization for approximately 226 million yen, leaving the 300-year-old institution with almost none of its property beyond its main hall and grounds.

More than 1,000 chickens escaped from a truck onto a busy national highway in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, on October 15 after the vehicle's load shifted, prompting traffic restrictions that lasted approximately four hours.

Tokyo's 23 wards have decided to establish a new small-scale public crematorium to address rising fees at privately operated facilities and growing concerns that cremation capacity could become insufficient around 2040 as the city's aging population drives up the number of deaths.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako drew attention during their September 19-20 visit to Aichi Prefecture for the opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Games, when the couple posed beside the popular character No-Face at Ghibli Park and used the Emperor's own smartphone to capture the moment, offering a rare glimpse of the Imperial Family's increasingly approachable public image.

A fire broke out at a factory handling waste plastic in Nara City on October 13, sending thick black smoke into the air and prompting the dispatch of 12 fire engines after firefighters received an emergency call shortly before 3:30 p.m. from a factory representative reporting smoke rising from inside the building, with all workers safely evacuated and no injuries reported.

Four people, including a 13-year-old junior high school girl, were injured when a large festival float collided with a roadside tree during an autumn festival in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on October 12th.

A 46-year-old Cuban national has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a 32-year-old foreign national at a restaurant in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, on October 11, fleeing the scene before turning himself in to police the following day.

The proportion of divorces involving couples married for at least 20 years has reached a record high in Japan, driven by greater financial independence among women and longer life expectancy, with women initiating an estimated 70% to 80% of late-life separations.