Carlos Ghosn ran Nissan and Renault — then fled Japan in a box to avoid trial

Carlos Ghosn, the Brazilian-Lebanese-French executive who saved Nissan from bankruptcy in the late 1990s and built the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Tokyo in November 2018 on charges of financial misconduct, including underreporting his compensation and misusing company assets.

Ghosn was held in Japanese custody for over 100 days, then released on bail with strict conditions. In December 2019, in a dramatic escape, Ghosn fled Japan hidden in a large box on a private jet, traveling through Turkey to Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Ghosn remains in Lebanon, a fugitive from Japanese justice. The case exposed tensions between Japan's criminal justice system (which has a 99% conviction rate and allows extended pre-trial detention) and Western standards of due process. It also revealed the internal power struggle at Nissan, where executives allegedly conspired with prosecutors to remove Ghosn and prevent a deeper integration with Renault.