1/01/2020

What Ghosn case tells us

It was a real surprising news Carlos Ghosn had escaped to Lebanon at the very last moment of the last year in this way.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47113189

Some people say he should get trial even if he had complaints about that. He was living in our country under our justice system, as they say.

I doubt it from a few reasons.

One is that what he has been accused is a kind of matter within a corporate. It should have been questioned at the board of directors or, at least, at a meeting of shareholders. It smelled like an internal struggle in Nissan Co. Ghosn has received much more salary than the other corporate tops ever in Japan. They say the prosecutors have focused on that from our traditional common sense among people. But the economic disparity is another issue which should be discussed apart from filing case to the court.

The other point is the hostage justice in our justice system exactly described in this paper mentioned above. Prosecutors carry on detention of a criminal suspect until he/she confesses about it. This has caused a lot of false charge by prosecution in the past. From the standpoint of basic human rights, this system should be abandoned.

Lastly, most important at present, the prosecutor office acts in accordance with the administration, either as an direct order or in account of the will of the administration. Our present Abe administration has controlled them with the personnel affairs managed by the cabinet. Those suspects whom the administration takes as rebellious or hostile to them could be detained for weeks or even months while those close to the prime minister or the administration could be spared for being arrested or being accused. Nomocracy is being in peril of forfeit in Japan.

Apart from this Ghosn case, the prosecution system should be reformed as soon as possible.

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