Arab News, Tokyo

The foreign ministry in Tokyo said Tuesday that Lebanon president Michel Aoun met the Japanese ambassador to Lebanon Okubo Takeshi in Beirut and discussed the "departure of defendant Carlos Ghosn from Japan."

Ambassador Okubo stated that Ghosn’s "illegal departure from Japan and arrival in Lebanon is deeply regrettable and can never be overlooked by the government of Japan.

The statement said that the ambassador requested that the government of Lebanon should provide all necessary cooperation on this matter, for which Japan has grave concern, including ascertaining the facts behind this case.

In his reply, president Aoun explained that the government of Lebanon "did not have any involvement whatsoever in the incident, and stated that Lebanon attaches importance to the relations with Japan, and, in response to the request for cooperation from Japan, promised that Lebanon would spare no effort in providing unstinting cooperation.