Ex-Nissan boss Ghosn describes his daring escape from Japan in a box

For the first time, the former boss of both Nissan and Renault Carlos Ghosn in an exclusive interview with BBC described his daring escape from Japan in a box that stores musical equipment.

But for readers to know why the former titan had to escape japan at all, Ghosn's story has to be told from the beginning.  

The reason for Ghosn's escape

Ghosn at the time the chairman of Nissan was arrested in November 2018 on suspicion of understating his annual pay and misusing company cash - which he denied, reports The BBC.

Ghosn, who was also the chairman of Renault in France and the leader of a three-way alliance encompassing Mitsubishi, Renault and Nissan, claimed he was "collateral damage" in Nissan's fight against Renault's growing power.

Following his arrest, the former titan was brought to a Tokyo detention center. However, following his release on bail, he spent long periods of time in imprisonment or under house arrest, and if convicted, he faced a 15-year prison sentence.

Unfortunately, Japan has a 99.4% conviction rate and this prompted Ghosn to plan his escape, and that too in a box.

The plan

Ghosn chose a musical box as the tool of his escape "since it was the most natural choice, especially given the abundance of concerts in Japan at the time."

A Private jet awaited for Ghosn in a local airport in Osaka, where he would be put in a box situated in a hotel nearby, to help him escape.

The box would allow the highly famous titan to move unnoticed. So he ditched his lavish suits and donned a more normal attire, that suited his escape before the moment arrived. 

Two men - father and son Michael and Peter Tayol - will pose as musicians will transport the box with Ghosn inside from the airport to the hotel.

The moment of his escape

When the time came, Ghosn took a bullet train to Osaka, where he checked into the hotel where the box was kept, and then climbed into the box.

"When you get in the box, you don't think about the past, you don't worry about the future, you just think about the moment," Ghosn explained.

Ghosn estimated that he was in the box for around an hour and a half on that cold night back in December 2019, but to him it seemed more like a year and a half.

Ghosn was able to board the plane without incident, but he had to change plans in Turkey before landing in Beirut, where he was ultimately free because Lebanon does not have an extradition deal with Japan.

Sadly, Ghosn's aides Micheal and Peter did not share his fate, since they were sentenced to three years in prison after being handed over to Japan by the US.