Photo/Illutration Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. (Asahi Shimbun file photos)

“Nayami no Rutsubo” (literally, “crucible of agony”), the advice column in The Asahi Shimbun’s weekend supplement, “be,” once ran a letter from a woman in her late 30s.

She wrote to the effect. “I was dating a highly educated man who owns a company. As I got to know him better, I noticed that he just couldn’t keep his opinion to himself about things like my hobbies and friends. So, I broke up with him. Did I do something wrong? Please advise.”

I should imagine that not a few people have been through something similar, more or less.

The future of romance is ever elusive. One may be brimming with joy when getting engaged, but there are bound to be moments of doubt about one’s partner over their vision of marriage or differences in value system.

Will the couple be able to work things out, or is their romance doomed?

The latter was the case in the proposed management integration between Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co.

What must have started out as a courtship between two eager suitors fell to pieces after only one month and a half. Reportedly, the decisive factor was Honda’s suggestion that Nissan agree to become its wholly owned subsidiary.

If that were to be the case, Nissan President Makoto Uchida told a news conference on Feb. 13, “We could not be certain to what extent Nissan would be able to protect its position and maximize its potential.”

But Nissan’s financial straits are dire, and Uchida projected a net loss of 80 billion yen ($523.82 million) for fiscal 2024.

Will Nissan be able to turn things around? How is it going to deal with rapidly growing new companies in the electric vehicle sector?

Having cut its ties with Honda, Nissan must brace itself for bumpy roads ahead.

Regarding the advice column mentioned above, it was Kang Sang-jung, a political scientist, who offered this guidance: “The important thing for you is to be absolutely sure what you really want to do and what sort of a partner you hope to find to share your life with.”

I hope this message also reaches Honda and Nissan whose union never materialized.

—The Asahi Shimbun Feb. 14

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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