Months before the arrest of auto titan Carlos Ghosn, the Japanese government intervened in talks about whether to merge Nissan and Renault https://on.wsj.com/2DHOEKY
As Renault's largest shareholder, the French state had a few months earlier publicly instructed Mr. Ghosn to work toward making the alliance "irreversible." The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that discussions became increasingly intense in late April when a Nissan executive said he told the French government agency that manages the Renault stake that Nissan opposed a full merger.