In the 13 months between the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, the former chief executive of Nissan, and his fleeing Japan amid allegations of improper compensation and misuse of corporate assets, the Japanese criminal justice system has been put under a microscope.

Critics in Japan have raised concerns for years, in particular about the broad powers granted to prosecutors. All of those powers have been on full display in Ghosn's case: His pre-trial detention was repeatedly extended, he was held for hours of questioning without a lawyer present and he was repeatedly denied bail - something that is usually granted only to defendants who are prepared to confess. He was eventually granted bail with strict conditions.