'Playing Ghosn': don't get into our music cases, Yamaha warns
Yamaha Music Japan has cautioned against people mimicking Carlos Ghosn by cramming themselves into its large boxes for musical instruments and equipment, saying that copycat attempts could lead to “unfortunate accidents”.
The Japanese firm’s warning in a recent tweet was in response to social media posts on “playing Ghosn” – an allusion to reports that the former auto tycoon fled Japan last month inside a large case intended for musical instruments.
“We won’t mention the reason, but there have been many tweets about climbing inside large musical instrument cases. A warning after any unfortunate accident would be too late, so we ask everyone not to try it,” said Yamaha Wind Stream, the company’s account for information on wind instruments.
In one photograph, a young woman is curled up inside a padded green harp case, while another post appeared to show somebody standing in a double bass gig bag.
Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 and later charged with financial misconduct and breach of trust while head of Nissan. He sent shockwaves around the world in late December when he fled Japan to Lebanon while out on bail.
While Ghosn declined to explain how he had escaped at a press conference last week, reports suggest he walked out of his residence in Tokyo before boarding a bullet train to Osaka. Helped by private security operatives, he is is believed to have evaded detection at Kansai international airport by hiding inside a speaker box that was too big to fit through the airport’s X-ray scanner.
Ghosn, 65, took a private jet to Istanbul and then on to Lebanon, where he spent part of his childhood. A large case for audio equipment was later found at the back of the jet’s cabin. The Wall Street Journal reported that holes had been drilled into the container to ensure the fugitive businessman could breathe.
Authorities in Japan, where Ghosn spent more than 120 days in detention before being released on bail, have vowed to pursue him and his wife, Carole. Lebanon, however, does not have an extradition agreement with Japan.
Yamaha, which makes instruments and equipment ranging from pianos and double basses to drums and heavyduty speakers, thanked people for their response to its initial post, which has been retweeted more than 54,000 times and liked more than 86,000 times.
And it reminded them that their range of cases were not intended to hold humans.