據日本放送協會（NHK）報道，日產汽車公司董事會已解除卡洛斯·戈恩的董事長職務。作為業界標志性人物，戈恩被捕引發一片嘩然，日產董事會此舉意為減輕該事件造成的有害影響。

日本放送協會沒有提供更多細節。一位日產發言人拒絕對此發表評論。日本當局于上周一拘捕戈恩，日產董事會在上周四召集會議，就是否將戈恩革職進行投票。目前，戈恩的官方董事身份仍將保留，因為只有股東投票才能將他從董事會中完全除名。

“這是一場政變。”前日產員工、Sawakami Asset Management公司的一名分析師吉田龍夫說。“戈恩的時代結束了。”

事情的起因是日產公司和日本當局對長期擔任公司領導人的戈恩被控財務違規事件進行調查，而日產首席執行官西川廣人是推動調查的幕后力量。戈恩于上周一在東京突然被捕，在此之前他一直在力促日產與法國合作伙伴雷諾汽車實現完全合并，戈恩本人也是雷諾的首席執行官兼董事長。該合并計劃遭到了西川廣人的反對，之前戈恩一直以西川廣人的導師自居。

如果戈恩不再擔任日產董事長，上述合并則幾乎不可能實現。這位具有超凡魅力的法國巴西混血高管于20年前一手規劃了兩家公司的聯盟，以在全球范圍內與競爭對手進行抗衡。戈恩同時也是聯盟的靈魂人物，他的被捕將日方和法方在多年利益更迭中累積的怨氣推到了臺前。

由于日產財務近期表現強勁，聯盟在日本引起的爭議越來越大。雖然日產的銷量和利潤整體超過雷諾，但它在聯盟中的影響力要小得多。日產擁有雷諾15％的無表決權股份，而雷諾擁有日產43％的股份，而且是有表決權的股份。2016年，三菱汽車公司加入聯盟。

長期以來，日產都對法方影響力過大一事不滿意，西川在上周一深夜針對戈恩被捕事件召開的新聞發布會上也提到了這種明顯的不平衡。

與之相反，法國方面一直想要維持甚至強化如今的這種關系。法國財政部長布魯諾·勒梅爾在上周三表示，聯盟合作將繼續，并將進一步深化。他說，法國政府作為雷諾最大的股東，將“全力支持雷諾和日產的聯盟”。

雷諾董事會于上周早些時候也任命了臨時領導層，但拒絕解雇戈恩，并表示在獲得更多信息之前，應當假定戈恩無罪。雷諾的臨時首席執行官蒂埃里·博洛爾說：“聯盟對雷諾至關重要，我們將確保完整地延續與聯盟各方的合作關系。”（財富中文網）

譯者：Agatha

Nissan Motor Co.’s board removed Carlos Ghosn as chairman, the NHK reported, as the directors moved to contain the damage from the iconic executive’s shock arrest.

Japan’s national broadcaster didn’t provide further details. A Nissan spokesman declined to comment. The board was meeting last Thursday to vote on Ghosn’s removal. Ghosn, who has been detained by Japanese authorities since last Monday, will officially remain a director, since a shareholder vote is needed to remove him from the board completely.

“It’s a coup,” said Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst at Sawakami Asset Management, who used to work at Nissan. “Ghosn’s era is over.”

The removal follows probes by Nissan and Japanese authorities into alleged financial misconduct by long-time leader Ghosn, with Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa emerging as a driving force behind the investigation. Prior to his surprise arrest in Tokyo on last Monday, Ghosn had been preparing to push for a full merger of Nissan with French partner Renault SA, which he also heads as CEO and chairman. That combination plan has faced resistance from Saikawa, who Ghosn in the past presented as his protege.

Without Ghosn at the head of Nissan’s board, a merger looks very unlikely. The charismatic French-Brazilian executive was architect and linchpin of the two-decade-old alliance, created as an attempt to add heft against global rivals. Ghosn’s arrest has now laid bare resentments that have built as the Japanese and French sides alternated successes and struggles over the years.

Lately, the structure has become increasingly controversial in Japan due to Nissan’s strong financial performance. Although it’s generally outgrown Renault in sales and profits, the Japanese company has far less influence within the alliance. It owns a 15% non-voting stake in Renault, which in turn owns 43% of Nissan, with voting rights. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. was added to the alliance in 2016.

Nissan has long been unhappy about what it considers an outsize French role, and Saikawa made reference to that perceived imbalance at the late-night press conference he called on last Monday to respond to Ghosn’s arrest.

The French side, conversely, has been keen to maintain — if not intensify — the current relationship. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said last Wednesday that the partnership is set to continue and will be deepened. As Renault’s largest shareholder, the French state is “totally attached to the alliance of Renault and Nissan,” he said.

Renault’s board earlier last week put in place new interim leadership but declined to fire Ghosn, saying he should be presumed innocent until more details become available. Interim Renault CEO Thierry Bollore said “the alliance is vitally important for Renault and we will ensure total continuity with our partners.”