Nissan CEO Becomes a Storied Success in Japan

Newspapers in Japan have written extensive articles about the stores Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn prefers when he goes suit shopping.

Hundreds of photographers at the recent Tokyo Motor Show jammed to the front of the stage when Ghosn introduced the new Nissan Z--not to take pictures of the car but to grab some candid shots of the heavy-browed executive.

And he has just won the ultimate stamp of approval in Japanese society: His life story is being serialized in one of the popular illustrated adult comic books, or manga , that have become ubiquitous throughout the island nation. Indeed, the publisher of biweekly Big Comic Superior says inclusion of the Ghosn story as a five-part serial in the magazine is expected to boost the press run past the usual 500,000 copies per issue.

Ghosn has been something of a cult figure in Japan since turning workplace culture upside-down with his plan to save Nissan Motor Co. from bankruptcy by closing factories, firing employees and ending decades-old supplier relationships that were based more on personal friendships than competitive bidding.

And now the Brazilian-born French automotive executive of Lebanese descent is not only a comic book hero but also Japan’s newest best-selling author.

He joked at a recent book signing, where scores of Tokyo residents queued up to get the author of “Renaissance” to autograph their copies of the book, that he might be the only person in the crowd who hasn’t read the published version--it so far has been printed only in Japanese, a language he doesn’t speak or read well.

The ghostwritten “Renaissance” chronicles Ghosn’s career as Mr. Fix-It, first at tire maker Michelin, then at Renault and finally at Nissan after the French auto maker acquired a controlling interest in 1999.

He told reporters at the signing that the book is his contribution to a continuing debate in Japan about how best to rebuild companies in a sagging economy.

Since its publication late last month, “Renaissance” has sold more than 120,000 copies, and publisher Diamond Inc. says it is hoping for sales of up to 1 million.

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Times wire services were used in compiling this report.