News On Japan

Defense begins questioning in trial over Ghosn's pay

Nov 13 (Japan Today) - The defense team for former Nissan executive Greg Kelly began questioning a key prosecution witness in a Tokyo court this week, seeking to show the alleged underreporting of income of his boss Carlos Ghosn was devised by others at the automaker.

Since the trial began in September, Kelly has only presented a brief opening statement insisting on his innocence. In questioning Toshiaki Ohnuma, who was in charge of compensation at Nissan, defense lawyer Yoichi Kitamura sought to show that Ohnuma, at the order of higher-ups at Nissan, devised plans to obscure exactly how much Ghosn would be paid, knowing they might be improper in Japan.

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.

Ghosn jumped bail and fled the country for Lebanon late last year, saying he feared he could not get a fair trial.

So far, the dozens of hours of questioning at the Tokyo District Court, with everyone’s speech muffled under masks because of the coronavirus, have centered on Nissan's efforts to meet Ghosn's demands for higher compensation without publicly disclosing the full amount.

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.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A special session of the Diet convened on October 21st, where Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Takeuchi is expected to be chosen as Japan’s next prime minister in the afternoon’s leadership vote. Following a coalition agreement reached on October 20th between the LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai, Takeuchi’s appointment is now virtually certain, paving the way for her to become the first woman in Japan’s constitutional history to lead the government.

Typhoon No. 24 (Fung-shen) is strengthening over the South China Sea and is expected to make landfall in Vietnam later this week, according to forecasts. Satellite images on October 201st show extensive cloud coverage over the central South China Sea. After passing over the Philippines, Fung-shen temporarily weakened but is projected to intensify again as it continues westward through Tuesday.

Kyoto’s world-famous Arashiyama district, a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, is facing a growing problem of graffiti etched into the bamboo along its iconic “Bamboo Grove Path,” with more than 350 stalks now damaged — a practice that experts warn could eventually cause bamboo to weaken, fall, and even injure visitors.

Japan’s streaming industry is under growing pressure as foreign giants tighten their grip on the domestic market, with Netflix’s latest move to secure exclusive broadcast rights in Japan for every game of the World Baseball Classic next March highlighting the widening gap.

Investigators from the Immigration Services Agency conducted on-site inspections in Osaka on October 14th amid a surge in so-called 'paper companies' created by foreign nationals seeking residency.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

The October issue of the long-established American lifestyle magazine Town & Country features Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, on the cover under the headline "Princess Ingognito," dedicating a six-page spread to Komuro and her husband Kei, exploring their life in the United States.

Police have arrested a former host and several associates for allegedly coercing female customers into sex work after exploiting their romantic feelings and saddling them with massive debts.

A violent attack early on October 20th in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture left one man dead and another injured after they were stabbed with what appeared to be a bladed weapon inside an apartment. Police are investigating the case as a murder.

A woman in her 40s suffered a serious injury after being trapped in a mechanical parking system in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward on October 19th.

A former pet shop owner convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting several female employees and sentenced to 30 years in prison appealed his case at the Fukuoka High Court on October 14th, again claiming that the acts were consensual.

The relocation of Arimasu Tobiru, a distinctive architectural landmark on Hijirizaka in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, was carried out between August and October after nearly two decades of construction.

A Brazilian man has been arrested and indicted for smuggling cocaine into Japan by swallowing the drugs and concealing them inside his body.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for a man accused of killing three family members and seriously injuring another with a crossbow in 2020 in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture.