TOKYO, Japan – The Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies (ICAS) at Temple University, Japan Campus hosted a panel discussion on March 25 to provide new insight on the criminal case of Carlos Ghosn, former Nissan Motor chairman.
The panel began with Hiroki Sasakura of Keio Law School, who gave an overview of the Japanese criminal justice system and discussed the legal basis for pre-trial detention as applied to Mr. Ghosn. David Litt, also of Keio Law School, then compared how analogous transactions would be treated in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Moderated by Professor Stephen Givens of Sophia University, the discussion delved into the types of criminal charges filed against Mr. Ghosn. Mr. Givens led the dialogue surrounding issues of corporate governance. This was followed by Akiko Yamakawa of Vanguard Tokyo law firm, who discussed filing false securities reports and the basis for individual criminal liability, while Yoichiro Yamakawa of Koga & Partners examined the scope and precedents of breach of trust law in Japan.
“It’s amazing how [ICAS] bring[s] together such expertise and insight on topics of importance,” Tom Havens of Northeastern University commented regarding the event, noting that ICAS hosted “some of the most enlightening and intellectually stimulating events available in Tokyo.”
The event was held per Chatham House rules and was not recorded.
As the Ghosn trial develops, ICAS will hold a postmortem with further analysis for the international and Japanese community in Tokyo.
The Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus hosts events on topical issues throughout the year. To keep up with future events, contact icas@tuj.temple.edu to be added to the mailing list, or follow ICAS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.