This archive report was first published on 3 January 2020.
On Christmas Day, 2019, Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan CEO, found himself in a Tokyo courtroom, arguing with prosecutors over the details of his upcoming trial.
Just days before, he had been denied a request to spend the holiday with his wife, a decision that would have a profound impact on his mental state.
As conditions of his bail, Ghosn's movements were heavily restricted, with cameras above his door surveilling his every move. His phone use was limited, and he was not allowed to access the internet outside of his lawyer's office.
But it was the denial of his request to see his wife that seemed to break him. A Japanese court had deemed it unnecessary for him to spend the holiday with his loved one, leaving Ghosn feeling isolated and desperate.
According to a person familiar with his thinking, Ghosn's attitude towards his trial took a dramatic shift that day. He assumed that the Japanese authorities intended to force him to confess or hold him indefinitely.
As Nobuo Gohara, a former prosecutor turned defense lawyer, noted, 'When you look at the situation Mr. Ghosn was put in, it seems likely that his decision was driven by a feeling of despair.'
