News On Japan

Nissan Motor: CEO Uchida to step down, replaced by Espinosa

Mar 12, 2025 (News On Japan) - Nissan Motor says its president and CEO will step down. Uchida Makoto is seen as responsible for the Japanese automaker's worsening business, among other issues.

The company terminated merger talks with Honda Motor in February after just one and a half months of discussions.

The firm's board of directors decided on Tuesday that Uchida would step down. Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa is slated to take up his posts from April 1.

Nissan Motor President and CEO Uchida Makoto said: "The top priority for Nissan now is to get out of this situation as soon as possible and get the company back on a growth track. I also decided that it would be best for the company to shift to new management and make a fresh start as soon as possible."

Espinosa worked for a Nissan unit in his native Mexico from 2003. He handled global product strategy and planning as a corporate officer from 2018. He assumed his current post in April last year.

Nissan's business is rapidly deteriorating.

The firm expects a net loss of 80 billion yen, or about 540 million dollars, for this fiscal year through March. That is mainly due to sales slumps in the United States and China.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Record rainfall caused 19 rivers to overflow across Fukui Prefecture, flooding roads and homes, triggering landslides and temporarily forcing authorities to issue the highest-level heavy rain emergency warning from early Sunday morning.

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Toyota Motor plans to introduce passenger vehicles equipped with advanced automated driving technology from 2028, allowing drivers to travel with almost no manual operation, including taking their hands off the steering wheel on ordinary roads.

Consumer prices in central Tokyo rose 1.8% in August from a year earlier, with the pace of inflation accelerating for a third consecutive month as higher food prices continued to put upward pressure on household costs.

Tokyo stocks rose on August 28, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,405.56, up 273.58 points, or 0.41%, as information-technology, software, automaker and selected semiconductor-related shares gained after a U.S. technology rally, while investors remained cautious before Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech.

Japan's toy market continues to expand despite the country's declining number of children, reaching a record 1.1664 trillion yen in fiscal 2025 as manufacturers increasingly target adults and introduce products reflecting social issues ranging from sustainability to investment.

Tokyo stocks slipped on August 27, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,131.98, down 130.18 points, as early buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares following Nvidia’s strong earnings forecast faded into profit-taking, while the broader TOPIX edged higher for a sixth straight session.

Seven-Eleven Japan and Yamato Transport announced on August 26 that they will introduce self-service shipping machines allowing customers to send parcels without lining up at a staffed checkout counter.

Tokyo stocks rose on August 26, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,262.16, up 405.73 points, or 0.62%, as investors bought back selected semiconductor and financial shares, although trading was thin ahead of Nvidia’s earnings and uncertainty remained over artificial intelligence valuations, the yen and Bank of Japan policy.

Tokyo stocks fell on August 25, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 64,980.53, down 0.8%, as investors sold semiconductor and electronics shares ahead of Nvidia’s earnings while a weak yen, elevated bond yields and renewed U.S. pressure on Iran kept risk appetite subdued.