Nissan Motor had asked the Japanese government for help in fending off a proposal to merge with Renault SA, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, February 15.
The request by the automaker was made months before the arrest of former Nissan and Renault Chairman Carlos Ghosn in Japan in November, the paper stated.
The unusual request for government help “indicated the level of pressure that Nissan executives sensed coming from the French side” to merge the two automakers, the paper stated.
The French government is the biggest shareholder of Renault.
In response to the request, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry drafted an agreement that would allow it to oversee talks between Nissan and Renault, a role Nissan considered invasive, the paper stated.
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