Japan’s struggling Nissan considers selling head office to cover restructuring costs

Nissan Motor is considering selling its Yokohama headquarters, valued at over 100 billion yen (approx. $698 million), as part of broader cost-cutting measures that include shutting down seven of its 17 global factories.

The potential sale is part of a plan to offset restructuring expenses expected to rise by an additional 60 billion yen (approx. $420 million) this fiscal year, Caliber.Az reports citing Nikkei Asia.

The headquarters building has been added to a list of assets earmarked for sale by the end of the fiscal year ending March 2026.

In a transcript released on May 23 from a recent Q&A session with analysts, the President and CEO of the Japanese automotive titan, Ivan Espinosa, confirmed the company aims to fund restructuring costs through asset sales. 

The Japanese automaker is also preparing to cut another 11,000 jobs globally amid slumping sales in China and aggressive discounting in the US, its two largest markets. 

The company's challenges have been compounded by tariffs imposed during US President Donald Trump’s administration and the collapse of a proposed merger with Honda and Mitsubishi in February, which had aimed to strengthen Japan’s automotive sector against rising Chinese competition.

The new layoffs follow a previous round of 9,000 job cuts announced in November, which aimed to reduce Nissan’s global production capacity by 20%.

By Nazrin Sadigova