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Carlos Ghosn leaves jail in workman cosplay, causes hilarious Twitter storm in Japan

Oona McGee Mar 7, 2019
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Japanese people go crazy for Ghosn’s bad disguise.

After 108 days in custody at a Tokyo detention centre, former Nissan head Carlos Ghosn left jail yesterday, released on 1 billion yen (US$9 million) bail, one of the highest ever recorded in the country.

As the world’s media waited outside the detention centre to catch a glimpse of Ghosn leaving the building, photographers were poised to spot the 64-year-old Frenchman, whom many speculated would leave in a suit or smart casual outfit, and perhaps be picked up in a Nissan vehicle.

So when a silver-coloured Suzuki light van with a stepladder on the roof pulled up at the front of the building and a driver in a beige workman’s uniform jumped out, it might have gone unnoticed by the press, were it not for what happened next. Because striding out from the doors of the detention house came eight policeman, with one man in a pale-coloured cap in between them all, and as photographers zoomed in on the group, it became clear that this man was Ghosn.

▼ One of these things is not like the others…

カルロス・ゴーン
保釈。

カモフラがご親切に、1人だけ青い帽子でバレバレ。
しかも真ん中、要人なみのポジションを歩かせる。挙句全員マスクて…。カモフラしてますよーアピール色が。
少しおつむがたりませんよね…。 pic.twitter.com/7xvnm6Xwbn

— せっつ。 (@Setzer828) March 6, 2019

Dressed in a navy workman’s outfit, with a mask, orange high-vis straps, and a pale blue cap, the once highly respected CEO shocked everyone with his decision to leave jail disguised as a labourer. And in Japan, where people love to cosplay, Ghosn’s outfit quickly became the talk of the town, with people immediately taking to Twitter to discuss what they’d seen online.

▼ “Ghosn’s disguise made me think of Baikinman from the Anpanman kids’ anime!”

https://twitter.com/estimind7735/status/1103292123976130561

▼ “Ghosn’s disguise is as weak as Baikinman’s.”

ゴーンの変装のクオリティがバイキンマン並。 pic.twitter.com/8vGOCU10M7

— ジョー@ (@JyoDQ) March 6, 2019

▼ “His disguise is as crappy as Golgo 13’s from the Golgo 13 manga.”

https://twitter.com/usaginorate/status/1103211476263743490

▼ “Was this the look you were going for, Ghosn?”

ゴーンちゃま、この格好イメージしたのかしらん。 pic.twitter.com/jqn9NO0yoA

— 裏にこちゃん™。 (@uranicochan41) March 6, 2019

▼ “Ghosn’s flawless disguise.”

ようやく保釈されましたね。
下手な変装です。掴み所満載。
やるなら、鬼瓦ゴーン造ですよね。第一声は「冗談じゃないよ！」🤣#カルロス・ゴーン pic.twitter.com/JMihYIvnEM

— nisshin_troussier (@nisshin_troussi) March 6, 2019

▼ The news also inspired some of the nation’s illustrators to take out their sketchbooks.

お昼のスケッチ似顔絵：変装ゴーン pic.twitter.com/NJTUYVaMbV

— 似顔絵のMasa (@nigaoe_masa2013) March 7, 2019

トレンドのゴーンさん、把握。 pic.twitter.com/1bhmOSCKc6

— さとひ／渡辺裕子（仕事用） (@satohi11) March 6, 2019

▼ Ghosn joins the Power Rangers.

#変装　 #ゴーン #ゴーン釈放
ゴーンレンジャー#ビビット　 #とくダネ pic.twitter.com/Xeoz5fhCof

— ジーコまろ@名古屋 (@tabisitegomen) March 6, 2019

And as Ghosn’s silver van whisked him away from the detention center, it brought another famous movie scene to mind.

https://twitter.com/4101y/status/1103280730795175936

Ever since Ghosn appeared in a photo lineup next to Mr Bean in a Japanese exam question that asked students to identify the former Nissan CEO, people have been likening Ghosn to the British comedy character.

https://twitter.com/Foxman0707/status/1102953042729529345

カルロス・ゴーン氏が今日にも保釈されるかもと聞いたので、こんな風に東京拘置所を出てきて欲しい……って駐車場の猫がこんなクソコラ置いていった。英国車で出てくるのか？ｗｗｗ pic.twitter.com/6PEDRfdI9c

— 佐藤　正 (@manngakaki) March 5, 2019

▼ Ghosn’s real mood as the van drove away?

ゴーンの保釈によせて… pic.twitter.com/nGKxxvTFtp

— わっぱ (@wa9knife) March 6, 2019

Today, Japanese media was largely focussed on Ghosn’s workman attire, analysing each item of clothing he wore and discussing the motives behind the disguise, which was said to have been devised by his legal team.

Japanese media doesn’t let us down with their reporting of Ghosn’s release from jail. Not only do they track down his workman’s disguise in a catalogue, they give us a cartoon Ghosn in a van and then get workman Ghosn to carry the board away.#ゴーン変装 #ゴーン #CarlosGhosn pic.twitter.com/qWgFo08LOa

— Oona McGee 🇯🇵🇮🇪🇦🇺 (@OonaMcGee) March 7, 2019

The cunning plan injected some humour into Ghosn’s long-awaited release and diverted attention away from Japan’s widely criticised legal system, where bail is rare and the conviction rate in court cases is more than 99 percent.

Now, just-released-on-bail-workman cosplay looks set to be this year’s Halloween costume of the year, and Twitter has found a set on Amazon for 5,584 yen (US$49.98) that would be perfect for the occasion.

カルロス・ゴーン　コスプレセットAmazonで5,584円 pic.twitter.com/57MbXeFfx7

— 弐号機 (@NigokiP) March 6, 2019

And if you want to know where he got his cap, it was from Nihon Denso, an electrical company that works on Japan’s railways.

ゴーンさんの帽子は日本電装っていう鉄道関係の会社の帽子っぽいね。
どっから出てきたんだろhttps://t.co/amYLTuKbha pic.twitter.com/uHEGUmU2hk

— tomtom (@tomtomy_d) March 6, 2019

Ghosn could’ve worn any type of cap with his disguise, so the fact that he chose to wear a Nihon Denso cap upon his release is a tantalising bit of information. Did the company help to secure his release? Does he now owe the company a favour? Is he trying the outfit on for size for a future job on the railways?

We may never know the answer to these intriguing questions, but we do know that his bail comes shortly after Ghosn made changes to his legal team last month, when he hired former prosecutor Junichiro Hironaka – known as “the acquitter” for his ability to win not-guilty verdicts for high-profile clients – to work on his case.

The same Tokyo District Court that denied Ghosn bail on two previous occasions granted his bail on 5 March with the acquitter on board, and now the world waits to see the outcome of the trial, which is set to begin this autumn.

Source: Twitter/#ゴーン変装
Featured image: Twitter/@estimind7735
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