Fugitive Ghosn brings global attention to Japanese justice

TOKYO (AP) — Though former Nissan Chairman Ghosn is unlikely to stand trial in a real court, he has made himself a key witness in putting Japan's justice system on trial.

In his first public appearance after fleeing to Lebanon, Ghosn lambasted unfair detention and bail conditions, said he was presumed guilty and had “zero chance” of a fair trial in a system rigged against him.

“I didn't run from justice, I left Japan because I wanted justice," the former auto industry icon said at a spirited, two-hour news conference in Beirut.

With little chance they can extradite him, Japanese authorities struck back with words Thursday.

Tokyo prosecutors, who arrested him in late 2018, said Ghosn had “only himself to blame” for being detained 130 days before being released and for the strict bail conditions like being banned from seeing his wife.

“Defendant Ghosn was deemed a high-profile risk, which is obvious from the fact that he actually fled,” they said.

Justice Minister Masako Mori denounced Ghosn's comments as erroneous and credited Japan's extremely low crime rate to a judicial system rooted in “its history and culture.”

Ghosn's remarks, however, highlighted many of the issues human rights advocates call problematic in Japan's justice system.

Because of Japan’s extremely low crime rate, how suspects are treated is surprisingly unknown to Japanese, who tend to trust authoritative figures and assume no one gets arrested without a reason.

In Japan, suspects can be detained in solitary confinement without charge for up to 23 days. Charges can be filed piecemeal to prolong incarceration. Suspects are routinely grilled for hours each day without a lawyer present. Critics call the detention conditions mental torture.

Japan’s conviction rate is higher than...