Hironaka quits as Ghosn’s lawyer in Japan
TOKYO: Carlos Ghosn’s lawyer, one of the most respected criminal defence attorneys in Japan, has formally resigned after his client fled the country at the end of December to escape trial.
Junichiro Hironaka, whose nickname is “The Razor” and who led the legal team representing the former chairman and chief executive of Nissan Motor Co., notified the Tokyo district court on Thursday that he is no longer representing Ghosn, his office said in a statement. Hironaka had already signalled his intention to resign last week.
Arrested in November 2018, Ghosn and former Nissan executive Greg Kelly — who both deny wrongdoing — were set to stand trial this year. That’s now looking unlikely without the main defendant, thrusting the conflict into the public arena and possibly the Lebanese courts. With an Interpol red notice and revocation of his bail,
Ghosn is unlikely to ever set foot in Japan again.
All of the lawyers in Hironaka’s practice resigned, as did Takashi Takano, another well-known attorney who worked with Hironaka and helped arrange bail for Ghosn.
Hiroshi Kawatsu, another lawyer who was part of the defence and was the main attorney registered with the court, will continue to represent Ghosn for the time being, the Asahi newspaper reported. Ghosn hired the new Japanese team in February after firing his first defense team. The former Nissan chief was represented in the US by Paul, Weiss.