Abe, Macron Affirm Importance of Stable 3-Way Auto Alliance

December 1, 2018

Buenos Aires--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Friday on the importance of maintaining the stable alliance among Renault SA of France and two Japanese automakers--Nissan Motor Co. <7201> and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. <7211>.

The two leaders came to the agreement at a meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that lasted about 15 minutes.

Abe told Macron that he believes the private-sector parties concerned should decide the course of their alliance by themselves.

The brief session was held on the sidelines of a two-day summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies that started on Friday, at the request of France after alliance boss Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan on Nov. 19 for allegedly underreporting his executive pay from Nissan.

While some French media organizations reported that the arrest of Ghosn has developed into a diplomatic problem between Japan and France, the two leaders plan to calmly respond to the situation so that bilateral relations will not be negatively affected.

During the talks with Macron, Abe called the auto alliance a symbol of industrial cooperation between the two countries.

At the same time, the prime minister said the alliance is not something to which governments should make commitments.

Macron said he strongly hopes that the alliance and the group's stability will be maintained, according to the French president's office.

When asked by reporters whether the two leaders exchanged words about the investigation into Ghosn, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kotaro Nogami, who was present at the talks, declined to give details on the matter.

Nogami then said, "We think the investigation is being conducted according to law through appropriate procedures on the premise of ensuring the observance of basic human rights."

Meanwhile, the French president's office said Abe told Macron that the judicial proceedings must continue. Jiji Press