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Ghosn flight prompts renewed focus on Japan's strict justice system

TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn's daring flight from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, has revived global criticism of the nation's "hostage justice," but in Japan is prompting talk of reversing more lenient curbs on defendants. The ousted boss of Japan's Nissan and France's Renault fled to Lebanon, saying on Tuesday that he had "escaped injustice" and would "no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system." Ghosn was first arrested in November 2018 when his private jet landed in Tokyo and kept in jail for more than 100 days as prosecutors added more charges, all of which he has denied. He was released on $9 million bail in March — only to be arrested and bailed again the following month. He was facing four charges, including underreporting his Nissan salary and transferring personal financial losses to his employer's books while he ran Japan's No. 2 automaker. His apparent escape from Japan's legal system — Tokyo and Lebanon don't have an extradition treaty — will likely halt or even reverse a trend of recent years toward granting bail in more cases, said Colin Jones, a law professor at Doshisha Law School in Kyoto. “I would expect it to be more difficult for foreign defendants to get bail,” Jones said. In Japan, suspects who deny the charges against them are often detained for long periods and subject to intense questioning without a lawyer present, a system critics call "hostage justice." Japanese civil rights groups and the main bar lawyers association have long criticized a system that convicts 99.9% of criminal defendants. They say it gives too much power to prosecutors, who can detain suspects for long periods before indictment, and relies too much on confessions, some later found to have been forced and false. Ghosn's escape is clearly a shock to Japan's legal establishment. "This case raises the extremely serious issue of whether it's all right to continue the trend toward bail leniency," said former prosecutor Yasuyuki Takai. "The legal profession and lawmakers need to quickly consider new legal measures or a system to prevent such escapes," Takai, who was formerly with the special investigation unit of the prosecutor's office, told public broadcaster NHK.

Driving an EV cross-country, planting trees in all 48 states

National Drive Electric Week kicks off on September 12, but Brian Kent is starting his celebration early in an incredibly green way. On August 24, he sets off in his Nissan Leaf from Albion, NY, on an odyssey to visit the 48 contiguous US states and plant a tree in each one. Along the way, he's stopping off for the EV festival's party in Jeffersontown, KY. Kent calls the 26,000-mile drive the Negative Carbon US Road Trip because in 40 years those 48 trees should trap about 10 times more CO2 than his Leaf produces on the journey. He's sponsored by Kampgrounds of America, and this modern Johnny Appleseed is sowing the plants at some of its 485 sites around North America. National Drive Electric Week currently has 146 events scheduled for this year, including several in Canada and one in Hong Kong. The annual celebration aims to get people interested in plug-in vehicles. One of the gatherings last year even had the world's largest ever parade of EVs, but the record was unofficially broken in Berlin this spring. Will we get a new record next month? Just in Time for National Drive Electric Week: A Cross-Country Trip to Raise Awareness of Plug-In Vehicles Brian Kent will log 26,000 miles in his electric car, planting one tree in 48 states along the way San Francisco, Calif., Aug. 18, 2015—Brian Kent, set to embark upon a cross-country trek in his electric car on Aug. 24, will participate in National Drive Electric Week by routing his 48-state, gasoline-free tour through the EV celebration's event in Jeffersontown, KY. Kent plans to launch his 26,000-mile journey from his home in Albion, NY, charging his Nissan LEAF in city centers and campgrounds alike and planting a tree in each state for his first annual Negative Carbon U.S. Road Trip. He will blog along the way. Volunteers and other plug-in vehicle supporters in more than 130 cities from Hilo, HI to South Portland, ME will stage ride-and-drives and related activities during National Drive Electric Week, Sept. 12-20, for the same reason that Kent is hitting the road: to raise awareness of plug-ins. "My goals are consistent with those of National Drive Electric Week," said the freelance writer. "Misperceptions are rife.

New Nissan Pulsar marks brand's return to the European C-segment [w/videos]

Following a small teaser, Nissan has unveiled its newest entry into the hotly contested European C-segment. Making new use of the Pulsar nameplate, it will attempt to take the fight to market stalwarts, like the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra.
The new five-door will be built on Nissan's modular CMF2 architecture, which also underpins the Euro-spec Qashqai and X-Trail (known in the US as the Rogue). It's a larger vehicle than one of its main challengers, the Golf, riding on a 106.3-inch wheelbase, which is 2.4 inches longer than the VW. It's also longer overall, at 172.6 inches.
The new Pulsar is a moderately powered little five-door, boasting an engine lineup familiar to anyone that knows the Qashqai. A 1.2-liter, turbocharged gas engine offers up 113 horsepower, while those that need a bit more oomph can wait for the late-availability, 187-hp, 1.6-liter turbo that American drivers will know from the Juke crossover. Diesel fans will be able to opt for a 1.5-liter mill that delivers 192 pound-feet of torque and 108 hp. No surprise here, but continuously variable transmissions are the order of the day.