Carlos Ghosn: fugitive or victim? The issue that split Japan into locals and foreigners

Many Japanese are angry over Ghosn’s escape, saying it’s like ‘Eric Snowden fleeing to Russia and telling us how horrible the US judicial system is’

But expats say Japan treats citizens and foreigners differently, and Ghosn was being punished for political and business reasons

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Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn speaks during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, after fleeing from Japan, where he faced financial misconduct charges. Many Japanese believe he is guilty, while foreigners in the country believe he was being punished. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:45am, 11 Jan 2020Updated: 8:41pm, 11 Jan 2020

The decision by former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn to flee Japan before he was to face trial for financial impropriety later this year has caused something of a schism between Japanese and “gaijin”, a common term for foreigners – and his press conference in Lebanon on Wednesday has only entrenched those views.

A defiant Ghosn accused Nissan and Japanese prosecutors of plotting against him, saying the charges he faced were “baseless” and “there was no way I was going to be treated fairly”. Prosecutors hit back, saying his one-sided criticism of the Japanese justice system was unacceptable.

On Thursday, Japanese Justice Minister Masako Mori urged Ghosn to return to Japan and make his case in court, saying his claims were “baseless” and did not justify his escape in any way.

Japan's Justice Minister Masako Mori says Carlos Ghosn should face trial in a Japanese court and present concrete evidence to prove his innocence. Photo: AFP

While many Japanese insist Ghosn’s flight from justice is further proof of his guilt and dismiss suggestions he would not have received a fair trial, most foreign residents are siding with the fugitive, claiming Japan has one law for the Japanese and something completely different for outsiders.

Unsurprisingly, the debate is being stoked by the partisan domestic media, with the right-wing Yomiuri newspaper stating that Ghosn’s escape “makes light of the Japanese judicial system and is absolutely unacceptable”. The usually more placid Asahi said his decision to flee “has trampled on justice and is totally unforgivable”.

Jun Okumura, an analyst at the Meiji Institute for Global Affairs, agrees wholeheartedly.

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