(Bloomberg) -- Japan’s trade ministry said Wednesday it didn’t play a role in the breakdown of merger talks between Renault SA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV earlier this month.
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Bloomberg reported on June 21 that the Japanese government signaled its misgivings over the deal to the French government. That led France -- Renault’s most powerful shareholder -- to seek a pause in the talks for more time to win Nissan Motor Co.’s support, provoking Fiat to withdraw its offer on June 6, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
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Futoshi Kono, director of the automobile division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, called the report "groundless." He declined to comment further.
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