From the "bullet" to the airport ... these are the details of the Hollywood escape of Carlos Ghosn from Japan

Japanese news agency Kyodo reported Monday that the former president of Nissan and Renault, automaker Carlos Ghosn, began his fascinating escape from Japan with a journey on the "bullet train" from Tokyo to Osaka, during which a number of people may have been accompanied.

Meanwhile, the Japanese authorities said they could still ask Lebanon to hand over Ghosn to face multiple charges of financial irregularities, even though Lebanon usually does not extradite its citizens.

Quoting a person connected to the case, Kyodo said that Ghosn appeared in security cameras as he was leaving his home on December 29 at 2:30 pm local time (05:30 GMT), and that after a few hours he arrived at Shinagawa Station in Tokyo where he boarded the train To Shin Osaka Station.

According to the agency's report, Ghosn then took a car to a hotel near Kansai International Airport in Osaka, where he boarded a private plane at 11:10 pm local time.

Ghosn traveled with a number of people, and the Japanese police are currently working to determine their identities through pictures of surveillance cameras, according to the newspaper.

Ghosn was prevented from leaving Japan while awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing he denies, yet he managed to escape at the end of the year, saying he had fled a "corrupt" judicial system.

Kyodo said prosecutors are working with the police to gather details of Ghosn’s escape route and to determine who helped him.

In a first briefing to the Japanese government since Ghosn, who was released on bail, escaped, Japanese Justice Minister Masako Mori said Monday that Tokyo in principle could submit a request for extradition to a country with which it does not have an exchange agreement.

She told reporters in Tokyo that such a request requires careful scrutiny based on the possibility "to ensure reciprocity and (respect) the domestic law of the partner country."

It did not clarify what it takes to ensure reciprocity, nor did it clarify whether there were any Lebanese citizens in Japan wanted by their country's authorities.

Japanese officials broke the silence on Sunday over Ghosn's escape, saying they would tighten immigration procedures, and promised a thorough investigation, and the authorities also issued an international arrest warrant for Ghosn.

The Lebanese authorities said that they had received an arrest warrant from the International Police (Interpol) against Ghosn, and that he had entered the country legally, and a prominent Lebanese security official stressed that Lebanon does not extradite its citizens.

Ghosn, who was accused in Japan of financial offenses, was released in April 2019, but he was kept under house arrest in Tokyo and prevented from leaving Japan during the period before his trial.

He was able, according to the conditions of his release, to leave his home freely, and to travel for less than 72 hours inside Japan without asking for court permission.