A photo of Carlos Ghosn released on the big screen in Tokyo on January 9, 2020. – AFP
- Accused of financial embezzlement, Carlos Ghosn fled his house arrest in Japan to reach Lebanon.
- A case experienced as a “humiliation” in Japan, where respect for the law and the community is a national value.
- In Japan, Carlos Ghosn’s actions could “damage the image of the foreigner. This could reinforce this desire to stay between people of trust, between Japanese ”, decrypts for“ 20 Minutes ”Valérie Niquet.
–
A multimillionaire businessman who escapes from his Japanese house arrest, in incredible and mysterious conditions … This scenario could be more difficult to reproduce in the future. End December,
Carlos Ghosnfled Japan to settle in Lebanon and “escape injustice” (according to him), leaving Japan stunned.
On the archipelago, where respect is erected in national value, the case embarrasses the authorities. This leak, which has sounded all over the world, could leave an indelible mark on the country.
After seeing Carlos Ghosn explain, at a press conference in Lebanon on Wednesday, that he was the victim of a “set-up”,
the justice minister immediately replied. Masako Mori described his attitude as “unjustifiable”. “The Japanese have a lot of respect for respecting the rules. What Carlos Ghosn did was something very humiliating, they are trying to fight back, “comments for 20 minutes Barthélémy Courmont, researcher at IRIS. “For now, the reaction of the authorities is: we are the safest country in the world according to statistics, you have nothing to tell us about our justice system”, confirms Jean-Marie Bouissou, Japanese historian and author of the book Japan, a very incorrect country (Ed. Fayard).
“Balkany does it from morning to night”
The Japanese justice system, however described as very harsh, failed to prevent Carlos Ghosn from fleeing. According to an anonymous source from the public broadcaster NHK, “the Immigration Service has indicated that it has no trace whatsoever” (computer, video) of a Carlos Ghosn leaving the country. “There may have been a form of naivety on the Japanese side, which underestimated Carlos Ghosn,” notes Barthélémy Courmont. “Ghosn played a lot on communication, complaining about his conditions of detention, saying that they were abusive, that he had lost weight in prison, talking about sanitary conditions … We are used to these things,
Balkany done from morning to night. With them, a Japanese leader would never do it, it is associated with a feeling of shame, “he deciphers.
A lack of habit which the ex-leader took advantage of, housed by the justice in a Tokyo apartment building: his house arrest in Tokyo left him the freedom to travel inside Japan, with a regulated period of absence. “It is clear that being placed under house arrest in Japan is an open door. I would not be surprised if the Japanese questioned a more effective control of these people, “says Barthélémy Courmont.
Control that could happen very quickly: “Masako Mori said that Japan would study how to make these freedoms more controlled, with the adoption of measures like the electronic bracelet “, According to Valérie Niquet, of the foundation for strategic research and author of the book Japan in 100 questions (Ed. Tallandier). A measure that did not exist in the country until then.
Little crime, no terrorism
The escape of Carlos Ghosn also highlighted a lack of security in transport. According to Japanese media, he fled aboard a private jet, taking off from Osaka Airport, a huge national hub, bound for Turkey. He would have passed the various checks not as a passenger but as baggage, subject to a less strict check in the case of flights in a private jet. These planes are less exposed to the risks of bomb or hostage-taking, unlike airliners, a spokesperson for the Japanese Ministry of Transport told AFP. “It is not surprising when you know that you can embark on certain domestic flights without an identity card in Japan,” points out Valérie Niquet.
Measures could thus be taken to strengthen security in transport, in particular with the arrival of 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “It seems inevitable to me for internal security matters, even if Japan is not used to terrorist risks. It will be more difficult in particular for private jets to be able to take off without control, ”says Barthélémy Courmont. “Already in the metro for over a year, there have been calls for vigilance in the face of terrorism. Japan faces very little of this type of threat. Border control is more effective in normal times, there is very little crime, it is a very safe society. It’s also true that you leave your bike in the street, the door of your house open with little risk of being burgled, “comments Valérie Niquet.
An even more closed country?
If adjustments in terms of security are going to be made, the main change could be in mentalities. Japan is still a country very closed to foreign immigration : He only accepted
20 refugees in 2017. Suspicions about Carlos Ghosn and his flight could heighten distrust. “Carlos Ghosn’s attitude damages the image of the foreigner and confirms the idea that we should be wary of it. This could reinforce this desire to stay between people of trust, between Japanese, ”analyzes Valérie Niquet.
The same goes for the business community: there are not many foreign entrepreneurs. “It is the OECD country with the least foreign investment. It’s a relatively closed economy on the outside. What Carlos Ghosn did, by not respecting the word given, does not play in favor of those who are for more openness, and in particular the reception of foreign executives “, supports the researcher.
Foreigners “know the rules”
As for foreign entrepreneurs already installed, “they know the rules. Once you are charged, the police and prosecutors can keep you in custody for as long as they want. This is very clear in the Criminal Code, “says Jean-Marie Bouissou. “If Western bosses had ever forgotten it, it reminded them of it,” he continues, before remembering a sentence said to him by a diplomatic friend one day: “If I knock someone over with my car, the same evening I am on the plane. “
“Will the Japanese trust foreigners in the same way? This question remains to be elucidated, ”wonders also Barthélémy Courmont. In the meantime, the press has received less attention than in France or Lebanon, and the population is not passionate about the subject. A (relative) silence explained by Jean-Marie Bouissou: “Japan does not want to give the impression that all of this makes it effective. The less we talk about it, the better. But if something changes, it will not lead to a relaxation of the rules. “
–
