Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels.

Lebanese judicial officials say authorities in Beirut have questioned two people at Turkey's request on suspicion of being involved in the 2019 escape of an auto tycoon from Japan to Lebanon.

Carlos Ghosn, the former rock star businessman who fell from grace and fled authorities smuggled in a music instrument box, is getting what his dramatic story deserves — a multi-part Apple TV+ documentary series.

Nissan and Renault have redefined their French-Japanese auto alliance to establish more equal cross-shareholdings.

Carlos Ghosn says that the $1 billion lawsuit he recently filed against Nissan and others is just the beginning of his fight.

Lebanese officials say auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan and about a dozen individuals in Beirut over his imprisonment in Japan and what he says is misinformation spread against him.

Nissan has reported a 55% jump in its October-December profit, as the Japanese automaker gears up for a less bumpy journey with its French alliance partner Renault.

Automakers Renault and Nissan on Monday formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky.

Nissan and Renault have agreed to equalize the stakes they hold in each other, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance.

A lawyer for an American father and son convicted in Japan on charges of helping Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, escape to Lebanon says they have been returned to the U.S. Michael Taylor was sentenced last year to two years in prison, while his son Peter Taylor was sentenced to 20 months.

Nissan says it's aggressively pushing electric vehicles to take advantage of a new U.S. law that gives up to $7,500 in tax credits.

French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for disgraced auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan in 2019 for Lebanon in a gripping escape.

Japanese prosecutors have filed an appeal against the verdict in the trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly.

Two Americans imprisoned in Japan for helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn avoid trial and escape to Lebanon are hoping to serve the rest of their time in the U.S. Paul Kelly, the attorney for Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, said the elder man was suffering from serious back pain and frostbite.

A Tokyo court has given a former American executive at Nissan charged with underreporting his boss Carlos Ghosn’s pay a 6-month suspended sentence.

Japanese automaker Nissan has swung back into the black for the quarter through December, despite shortages of computer chips that have hit the entire industry.

The French-Japanese auto alliance of Renault and Nissan plans to invest 23 billion euros ($26 billion) in electric vehicle technology over the next five years.

Nissan is investing 2 trillion yen, or nearly $18 billion, over the next five years and developing a cheaper, more powerful battery to boost its electric vehicle lineup.

Nissan has reported a $479 million profit for the last quarter, a reversal from the loss it racked up a year earlier.

The defense for former Nissan executive Greg Kelly has argued there is no evidence or motives linking him to alleged under-reporting of his ex-boss Carlos Ghosn’s compensation.

Nissan’s “intelligent factory” hardly has any human workers.

Japanese prosecutors are demanding two years in prison for former Nissan executive Greg Kelly.

Nearly three years later, former Nissan executive Greg Kelly is still wondering why the questions that led to his arrest and trial in Japan weren’t simply taken up in the automaker's corporate boardroom.

Nissan has reported a 114.5 billion yen profit for the April-June quarter, a reversal from a 285.6 billion yen loss the previous year, as its sales and profitability improved, especially in the U.S. market.

A Tokyo court has handed down prison terms for the American father and son accused of helping Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, escape to Lebanon while awaiting trial in Japan.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida has told a Japanese court that the company's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long.

The trial in Tokyo of two Americans charged with helping Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, flee Japan has wrapped up with prosecutors seeking prison terms of more than two years.

Two Americans charged in Japan with helping Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, jump bail and escape Japan for Lebanon have apologized in a Tokyo court.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida has pleaded for patience from disgruntled shareholders and promised a turnaround at the Japanese automaker.

Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct have agreed they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.

Americans Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor go on trial in Tokyo on Monday on suspicion they helped Nissan former Chairman Carlos Ghosn skip bail and escape to Lebanon in December 2019.

Lawyers of ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn say their client has answered hundreds of questions by French investigators over the past week in Beirut.

Ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has sat before French investigative judges in Beirut who questioned him for several hours over suspicions of financial misconduct.

Former auto magnate Carlos Ghosn expects to get hit with preliminary charges after French investigators travel to Beirut next week to question him over suspicions of financial misconduct.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press in Beirut, former star auto executive Carlos Ghosn has shared his frustrations surrounding his stunning downfall and delved into his legal troubles in Japan, France and the Netherlands.

Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has backed American lawyer Greg Kelly's insistence he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

Fugitive ex-auto magnate Carlos Ghosn is campaigning to clear his name and hopes an upcoming hearing in Beirut with French investigators offers a chance to defend himself for the first time since his 2018 arrest in Japan.

A Dutch court has ordered fugitive former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn to repay nearly 5 million euros in salary to an Amsterdam-based alliance between Nissan and Mitsubishi, and rejected his claim for millions in compensation for wrongful dismissal.

Honda swung into the black in January-March, recording a 213 billion yen ($2 billion) profit despite the lingering impact of the pandemic.

Nissan says that it has reduced its losses as restructuring efforts kicked in, despite damage to sales from the pandemic.

Japanese prosecutors say former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn told them during questioning on financial misconduct charges before he fled Japan that his compensation was never decided upon.

The trial of two Americans accused of helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn escape while out on bail will open June 14 at the Tokyo District Court.

Japanese prosecutors have charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, in connection with the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon. (DHA via AP, File)TOKYO – Japanese prosecutors charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, Monday in the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon, while he was out on bail. Prosecutors said the Taylors were formally charged with helping a criminal escape, although dates and other details of a trial were undecided. Japan has put Ghosn on Interpol’s wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Peter Taylor, 28, is accused of meeting with Ghosn and helping his father carry out the escape.

The lawyer for former Nissan Motor Co.'s executive Kelly, said his client was merely trying to prevent Ghosn from going to a rival automaker. At the time, Kelly, then a Nissan executive vice president, was making good money, had a successful career and moreover, was a lawyer. “He talks like a lawyer, and he thinks like a lawyer,” Kitamura said. Kelly, according to Kitamura, was just working out ways to pay Ghosn after retirement, through consulting fees and arranging a “non-compete” to prevent him from going to a rival automaker. “That would be the last day Greg would stay in Japan,” Kitamura said.

Two Americans suspected of helping Ghosn skip bail and escape to Lebanon in December 2019 have been extradited to Japan. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)TOKYO – Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn skip bail and escape to Lebanon in December 2019 have been extradited to Japan. The box passed through airport security in Osaka, central Japan, and was loaded onto a private jet that flew Ghosn to Turkey. Peter Taylor is accused of meeting with Ghosn and helping his father carry out the escape. Japan has put Ghosn on Interpol's wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Taylor is accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. They have accused Japan of pursuing the pair in an attempt to save face after the embarrassment of Ghosn’s escape. But he insisted that his son wasn’t involved and was not even in Japan when Ghosn left. The elder Taylor and Zayek met up with the two others at the Grand Hyatt and shortly after, they split up. But a federal judge in Boston put their extradition on hold shortly after their lawyers filed an emergency petition.

Former Nissan Chief Executive Saikawa told a Japanese court Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, he believed the compensation for his predecessor Carlos Ghosn was too low by international standards, and so he supported Ghosns retirement packages to prevent him from leaving. An American, he has been charged with financial misconduct in failing to fully disclose Ghosn’s future compensation. Ghosn led Nissan for two decades, salvaging the Japanese automaker from the brink of collapse. In the cross-examination by Kelly's defense lawyer Yoichi Kitamura, Saikawa said the several documents he signed were not about Ghosn's unpaid compensation but for services after Ghosn's retirement. When asked why he signed the documents, Saikawa said he trusted Kelly.

Taylor is accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. The flight went first to Turkey, and then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Lawyers for the Taylors argue the men can’t legally be extradited and will be treated unfairly in the Japan. Their lawyers told the Supreme Court in a brief filed Friday that the men would face harsh treatment in the Japanese criminal justice system. U.S. authorities had said they would not hand the men over to Japan while their bid for a stay was pending before Breyer, an attorney for the Taylors said.

Taylor is accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Their lawyers told the Supreme Court that the men would face harsh treatment in the Japanese criminal justice system. The Taylors are asking the Supreme Court to halt the extradition until their case is fully considered by the 1st Circuit and, if necessary, the Supreme Court. The flight went first to Turkey, and then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. The judge rejected the petition last month, clearing the way for the extradition, before the lawyers appealed to the 1st Circuit.

Taylor is accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an emergency petition to halt Michael and Peter Taylor's extradition to give them time to challenge a lower court ruling. The U.S. government has said it could surrender the men to Japan as early as Friday, according to the Taylors' lawyers. The judge rejected the petition last week, clearing the way for the extradition, before the lawyers appealed to the 1st Circuit. He is now in Lebanon, where he has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Nissan Motor Co. reported a 37.8 billion yen ($360 million) loss for October-December, bigger than the 26 billion yen loss racked up the previous year. But they still lag, at about a million vehicles for the quarter, down from 1.2 million vehicles a year ago. Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told reporters the annual sales forecast was lowered to about 4 million vehicles from an earlier 4.2 million vehicles. High-ranking people at Nissan, including Ghosn, were convinced his pay would come under criticism, according to testimony from several Nissan officials. AdJapanese prosecutors have argued the convoluted efforts to pay Ghosn without disclosing the full amount constitute a white-collar crime.

Chair Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a box is imploring U.S. officials to block their extradition. Authorities say the Taylors were paid at least $1.3 million for their help. Ghosn wired more than $860,000 to a company linked to Peter Taylor shortly before the escape and Ghosn’s son later made $500,000 in cryptocurrency payments, authorities said. Meanwhile, Ghosn, free on bail, headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor, who was already in Japan, authorities say. Authorities say Ghosn was inside one of the big black boxes.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani rejected a request to block the U.S. from handing Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, over to Japan. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani rejected a request to block the U.S. from handing Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, over to Japan. AdGhosn is now in Lebanon, where he has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Meanwhile, Ghosn headed to the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo and met up with Peter Taylor, who was already in Japan. Peter Taylor hopped on a flight to China, authorities say.

A security official checks people's IDs before the third hearing in the trial of Carlos Ghosn, former Nissan Motor Co. chairman, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday pushed for maximum 12 years in prison each for a Turkish private airline company official and two pilots who are accused of smuggling Ghosn out of Japan, Turkey's state-run news agency reported. (AP Photo/Mehmet Guzel)ISTANBUL – Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday sought the maximum possible 12 years in prison each for a Turkish private airline official and two pilots accused of smuggling the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman out of Japan, Turkey’s state news agency reported. Delivering their final opinion on the case, the prosecutors also demanded that charges against two flight attendants be dropped. During the opening hearing, airline official Okan Kosemen claimed he was made aware that Ghosn was on the plane to Istanbul only after it landed.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla, file)BEIRUT – Former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said in an interview aired Monday that French investigators are coming to question him in Lebanon over some legal challenges in France, asking why don't the Japanese do the same thing. Ghosn, who is a Lebanese, Brazilian and French national, fled Japan in a dramatic escape that drew headlines in late 2019, arriving in Lebanon on Dec. 30 of that year. “Now the French have charges,” Ghosn said. The Japanese are not doing this.”“I consider all the charges to be false,” Ghosn said. Another investigation focused on suspected misuse of company funds for a party for Ghosn at Versailles.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla, file)BEIRUT – A team of French investigators will come to Beirut next month to participate in interrogating former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, a Lebanese justice ministry official said Saturday. The official gave no specific date or details of what information the investigators would seek from Ghosn. Former auto executive Ghosn, who is a Lebanese, Brazilian and French national, fled Japan in a dramatic escape that drew headlines last year, arriving in Lebanon on Dec. 30, 2019. The Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the French investigators would be working alongside their Lebanese counterparts. Information about investigations is secret under French law, and French judicial officials did not respond to requests for comment Saturday on the report.

GENEVA – A panel of human rights experts working with the United Nations said Monday that former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was wrongly detained in Japan and has urged “compensation” for him from the Japanese government. The opinions of the working group are not binding on countries but aim to hold them up to their own human rights commitments. Among its past rulings involved the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who was likewise deemed to have had his human rights violated. Japan’s system has been repeatedly criticized by human rights advocates. Its members declined to speak to reporters about the opinion, the U.N. human rights office said.

TOKYO – A civil court trial began Friday in Japan over Nissan’s demand for 10 billion yen, or $95 million, in damages from its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn jumped bail late last year while awaiting a separate criminal trial in Japan. “The current Nissan civil lawsuit is an extension to the extremely unreasonable internal investigation with sinister intent by a portion of Nissan’s senior management and the unreasonable arrests and indictments by the public prosecutors,” Ghosn said. For the civil trial, Ghosn has hired acclaimed lawyer Nobuo Gohara, who has written a book of interviews with Ghosn. Tokyo prosecutors say they’re confident they have a case against Ghosn, as well as against Kelly.

Nissan Motor Co. had a profit of 59 billion yen in July-September of 2019. Yokohama-based Nissan reported Thursday its quarterly sales dipped to 1.9 trillion yen ($18 billion) from 2.6 trillion yen a year earlier. The company is still bleeding red ink and expects a 615 billion yen ($5.8 billion) loss for this fiscal year, which ends in March. That is still an improvement over its earlier projection for a 670 billion yen loss ($6.4 billion). Nissan posted a 671 billion yen loss in the previous fiscal year.

Since the trial began in September, Kelly has only presented a brief opening statement insisting on his innocence. Ghosn jumped bail and fled the country for Lebanon late last year, saying he feared he could not get a fair trial. In cross-examining Wednesday, Ohnuma told the court that Kelly did not know how much Ghosn was paid, as that was highly confidential at Nissan. The testimony suggested Kelly played a minor role in being consulted to study legal ways to pay Ghosn. Beginning in 2010, Japan started requiring public reporting of individual executives’ pay over 100 million yen ($1 million) in securities reports.

Toyota Motor Corp. reported Friday a quarterly profit of 470.5 billion yen ($4.5 billion), down from 530 billion yen a year ago. Quarterly sales slipped to 6.77 trillion yen ($65 billion) from 7.64 trillion yen. Toyota, based in Toyota city in Aichi, central Japan, said it expects to record a 1.4 trillion yen ($13.5 billion) profit for the fiscal year. It earlier projected 730 billion yen ($7 billion) in profit. Toyota, which makes Lexus luxury models and the Prius hybrid, recorded 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) in profit the previous fiscal year.

TOKYO – A Nissan employee testified Tuesday that he worked with another former Nissan executive, American Greg Kelly to find ways to pay the automaker's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn without fully disclosing his compensation. Disclosing annual executive pay over 100 million yen (about $1 million) became a requirement in Japan from 2010. After 2014, Kelly handed over his duties dealing with pay to another Nissan executive, Hari Nada, Ohnuma said. “We worked together to consider how to avoid disclosure of the unpaid compensation,” Ohnuma said of his work with Kelly. Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice president, is the only person to stand trial in what prosecutors have portrayed as a systematic plot to under-report Ghosn’s compensation.

Former Nissan Motor Co. executive Greg Kelly arrives for the first trial hearing at the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Japanese prosecutors outlined allegations of what they said was a complex and clandestine scheme to pay former star executive Carlos Ghosn. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)TOKYO – The financial misconduct trial of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly opened Tuesday. Japanese prosecutors outlined allegations of what they said was a complex and clandestine scheme to pay former star executive Carlos Ghosn. As is routine in Japanese trials, Tokyo District Prosecutors read from a long opening statement outlining their allegations.

FILE - In this Friday, April 20, 2018, file photo, Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn speaks during an interview in Hong Kong. The criminal trial against Japanese automaker Nissan and its former executive Greg Kelly will open in Tokyo District Court on Sept. 15. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)TOKYO – The criminal trial against Japanese automaker Nissan and its former executive Greg Kelly will open in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday. A: Prosecutors will present their opening statement, outlining their case against Kelly during the first day of the trial. When asked about the trial, Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said little beyond reiterating his confidence there was plenty of evidence to win a conviction.

(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)TOKYO His boss Carlos Ghosn escaped financial misconduct charges by fleeing the country, but another former Nissan executive is still awaiting trial in Japan: Greg Kelly. Kelly's trial in Tokyo District Court is to open Sept. 15, nearly two years after his arrest, and the same day he turns 64. Jamie Wareham, Kellys lawyer in the U.S., says a compensation agreement was never finalized. Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said the preparations for Kellys trial took a long time because of the massive amounts of evidence involved. Since Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon, its unlikely Ghosn will ever face trial.

Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said the CFRP parts will be used in mass-produced sport-utility vehicles in four or five years, thanks to a new casting procedure for the poured resin. The cost savings come from shortening the production time from about three or four hours to just two minutes, Sakamoto said. But Nissan boasts great engineering technology.Nissan's troubles arent over, as its bottom line has been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. Nissan also faces financial misconduct charges related to under-reporting Ghosns compensation, in a Tokyo trial that opens Sept. 15. In brighter news, Nissan is planning to unveil a new version of its flagship Z sports car at about the same time.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell issued a ruling approving the extradition of Michael Taylor, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, and his son Peter Taylor, but the final decision rests with the State Department. The flight went first to Turkey, then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Bank records show Ghosn wired more than $860,000 to a company linked to Peter Taylor in October 2019, prosecutors said in court documents. Ghosns son also made cryptocurrency payments totaling about $500,000 to Peter Taylor in the first five months of this year, prosecutors say. The government seized $5 million from the bank account of Taylors company.

All rights reserved)TOKYO Mitsubishi Motors' former Chief Executive Osamu Masuko, who engineered the automakers alliance with Nissan, has died. Mitsubishi Motors said he died of heart failure on Aug. 27. Masuko joined with Nissans former chairman Carlos Ghosn in forming an alliance in 2016. He joined trading company Mitsubishi Corp. in 1972. Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Motors said it is not planning any special services, respecting Masukos wishes.

TOKYO The case against former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn may have taken another turn as Japanese media report allegations that the automaker declared as expenses 1.15 billion yen ($10.8 million) in his taxable personal income. Japans National Tax Agency said Thursday it was aware of the reports but declined comment on an individual case. Nissan Motor Co. confirmed it had received a notice of a tax investigation from Japanese authorities. Such expenditures included 1 billion yen ($9.4 million) over five years through March 2019, and 150 million yen ($1.4 million) over three years before that, the reports said. The trial of another former Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, arrested with Ghosn, is scheduled to start next month.

Sign of Tokyo District Court is seen where former Nissan Motor Co.'s executive Greg Kelly arrives for a pre-trial meeting in Tokyo Thursday, July 30, 2020. Former Nissan executive Kelly, who was arrested in connection with the financial scandal of his ex-boss Carlos Ghosn, will soon face trial in a Tokyo court. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who was arrested in connection with the financial scandal of his ex-boss Carlos Ghosn, will soon face trial in a Tokyo court. Ghosn has publicly denounced the allegations as groundless and accused Nissan officials of a conspiracy to oust him. While Kelly is asserting innocence, Nissan has acknowledged guilt, seeking to distance itself from Ghosn and Kelly.

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2019, file photo, Mitsubishi Motors CEO Osamu Masuko speaks during a press conference at its headquarters in Tokyo. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported Monday, July 27, 2020, a 176 billion yen ($1.7 billion) loss for April-June, and forecast more red ink for the fiscal year, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto demand around the world. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported Monday a 176 billion yen ($1.7 billion) loss for April-June, and forecast more red ink for the fiscal year, as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto demand around the world. Quarterly sales shrank 57% to 229.5 billion yen ($2.2 billion). Mitsubishi Motors has denounced Ghosn.

Nissan Motor Co.'s new electric crossover Ariya is displayed at Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama near Tokyo Tuesday, July 14, 2020. The Ariya is the Japanese automakers first major all-new model since getting embroiled in the scandal surrounding former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)TOKYO Nissan unveiled an electric crossover vehicle Wednesday, the Japanese automakers first major all-new model since getting embroiled in the scandal surrounding its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. At its global premiere in Yokohama, Japan, the new vehicle, Ariya" was billed as a new chapter for Nissan. The event was held online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Uncertainty remains over how Nissan will fare without Ghosn, who spear-headed its move into electric cars while at its help for two decades.

BOSTON A Massachusetts father and son who prosecutors say helped smuggle Nissans former chairman out of Japan last year were denied bail by a federal judge in Boston on Friday. The Taylors' lawyers had argued the pair were unlawfully arrested and cant be extradited because bail jumping is not a crime in Japan and, therefore, helping someone evade their bail conditions isnt a crime, either. The Taylors are wanted in Japan on allegations that they helped Ghosn flee the country in December while he was out on bail and awaiting trial on financial misconduct allegations. Authorities say the Taylors helped sneak Ghosn out of a hotel in a large box and then out of Japan on a private jet. The flight took Ghosn to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

TOKYO Tokyo prosecutors said Friday that a request for extradition of two Americans arrested in the U.S. for allegedly helping Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan, flee Japan while he was out on bail has been filed. The completion of the extradition request does not immediately mean Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old former Green Beret and private security specialist, and his son Peter Taylor, 27, will be handed over. Arrested in May in Massachusetts, they are accused of helping Ghosn flee to Lebanon in December while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Japanese prosecutors have also been trying to bring Ghosn back to Japan, but Lebanon, unlike the U.S., does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. Authorities say the Taylors helped sneak Ghosn out of Japan on a private jet with the former Nissan boss tucked away in a large box.

A private airline official, four pilots and two flights attendants are on trial in Istanbul, accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon, via Turkey. (AP Photo/Mehmet Guzel)ISTANBUL A Turkish court on Friday released four pilots and a private airline official from jail, pending the outcome of their trial on charges of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon, via Turkey. The five are on trial in Istanbul, along with two flight attendants, for allegedly aiding Ghosn to flee while awaiting trial in Japan. In the first hearing of their trial, the pilots and flight attendants denied involvement in the plans to smuggle Ghosn or of knowing that Ghosn was aboard the flights. The airline official said that in Istanbul, he took Ghosn to the second plane and accompanied him to Beirut.

A man walks past the corporate logos at the global headquarters of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in Yokohama near Tokyo, Thursday, May 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)TOKYO Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told shareholders Monday he is giving up half his pay after the Japanese automaker sank into the red amid plunging sales and plant closures in Spain and Indonesia. But the problems are especially serious for Nissan Motor Co., which already was fighting to salvage its reputation after the financial misconduct scandal of its former star executive Carlos Ghosn. Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, sank into its first annual loss in 11 years, reporting a 671.2 billion yen ($6.3 billion) loss for the fiscal year that ended in March. But one investor noted Nissan sales werent picking up in the U.S. or China, and Nissan stock prices were continuing to slip.

TOKYO Mitsubishi Motors told its shareholders Thursday that its top executives are taking pay cuts to share responsibility for the Japanese automakers financial losses. I hope we can gain your understanding, Chief Executive Takao Kato said on how, given the harsh conditions, there will be no dividends. Like other automakers, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has seen its sales plunge amid the coronavirus pandemic. Kato said the executives' pay cuts amount to a reduction by about 45% of their overall pay by lowering salaries and foregoing performance-linked bonus pay. Mitsubishi is part of an alliance among bigger Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. and Renault of France.

TOKYO A Japanese prosecutor on Thursday urged the U.S. to extradite two Americans accused of helping Nissans former chairman, Carlos Ghosn flee the country while he was out on bail. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Takahiro Saito said Japan has issued arrest warrants for Michael and Peter Taylor for allegedly helping a criminal escape. They are wanted in Japan for allegedly helping Ghosn flee to Lebanon in December, jumping bail while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Prosecutors say Ghosn broke the law by violating bail conditions that required him to stay in Japan, mostly at his Tokyo home. Authorities say the Taylors helped sneak Ghosn out of the Japan on a private jet with the former Nissan boss tucked away in a large box.

The headquarters of French carmaker Renault is pictured in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris, Monday, May 25, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil sweeping new measures to rescue France's car industry, hammered by virus lockdown and the resulting recession. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS Struggling French carmaker Renault on Friday announced 15,000 job cuts worldwide as part of a 2 billion-euro cost-cutting plan over three years. The group is also considering adaptation of its production capacities in Russia and announced the halt of Renault-branded oil-powered car activities in China. The French government is its single biggest shareholder with a 15-percent stake, and has been in talks on a 5 billion-euro loan guarantee.

MADRID Spains government says that Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. has decided to close its manufacturing plants in the northeastern Catalonia region, resulting in the loss of some 3,000 direct jobs. Spains Industry Ministry says in a statement on Thursday that it regrets the companys decision despite proposals to keep the plant running, and urges the car manufacturers executives to consider alternatives. Workers unions had warned that 20,000 more jobs in Nissans local supply chain would also be threatened if the company closed its car manufacturing plant in Barcelona and two smaller factories in nearby towns. Reeling from a scandal involving its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, Yokohama-based Nissan was due to report on Thursday its annual results, which are expected to come as the first yearly loss in 11 years. The company is undergoing a deep restructuring, focusing on China, North America and Japan and leaving the European market, Russia, South America and North Africa to its partner Renault; and Southeast Asia and Oceania to Mitsubishi.

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. has decided to close its manufacturing plans in the northeastern Catalonia region, resulting in the loss of some 3,000 direct jobs. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)TOKYO Nissan announced Thursday it will close two auto plants, in Spain and Indonesia, as it sank into the red for the first time in 11 years after the coronavirus pandemic sent global demand plunging and halted production. Yokohama-based Nissan had recorded a 319.1 billion yen profit the previous fiscal year through March 2019. Nissan said its global vehicle production dropped 62% in April to 150,388 vehicles from a year ago. Global vehicle sales slipped nearly 42% last month.

The Japanese-French auto alliance of Nissan and Renault will be sharing more vehicle parts, technology and models to save costs as the industry struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic. (Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi via AP)TOKYO The auto alliance of Nissan and Renault said Wednesday it will be sharing more vehicle parts, technology and models to save costs as the industry struggles to survive the the coronavirus pandemic. Nissan is a leader in electric cars with its Leaf, but such technology will be available to the other alliance members, they said. Frances government announced on Tuesday a bailout of more than 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) for the nations auto industry. Before his downfall, Ghosn was a revered figure in the auto industry, especially in Japan, where he was a corporate superstar.

The logo of French carmaker Renault is pictured at the Flins plant of French carmaker Renault in Aubergenville, west of Paris, Monday, May 25, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil sweeping new measures to rescue France's car industry, hammered by virus lockdown and the resulting recession. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron announced an 8 billion-euro ($8.8 billion) plan Tuesday to save the countrys car industry from huge losses wrought by virus lockdowns, including a big boost for electric vehicles. PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron is set to unveil new measures Tuesday to rescue the country's car industry, which has been hammered by the virus lockdown and the resulting recession. Macron tweeted that government investment in the national car industry, which includes brands like Peugeot-Citroen and Renault as well as parts suppliers, will increase massively."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hassink said Japan plans as quickly as possible to submit a formal request to extradite the Taylors. At their arrival, Taylor and Zayek, his Lebanese-born colleague, told airport employees they were musicians carrying audio equipment. The elder Taylor and Zayek joined after a brief stop to rent a separate room near the airport. The others hopped on a bullet train and arrived at the Shin-Osaka train station about four hours later, authorities said. Authorities say Ghosn was inside one of the big black boxes, lugged by the two men to Japans Kansai International Airport, authorities said.