He was arrested in November on accusations he under-reported his salary and used company assets for personal use.

Mr Ghosn, who headed an alliance of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, has previously denied the allegations.

Media reports suggested he could be re-arrested on a separate charge.

That would see him detained for another 20 days for questioning.

On Monday, he was charged with making a mis-statement on Nissan's annual securities report.

Brazil-born Mr Ghosn, aged 64, was the architect of the Renault-Nissan alliance, and brought Mitsubishi on board in 2016. He has in the past been hailed a hero in Japan for turning around the ailing Nissan.

Nissan and and Mitsubishi both sacked Mr Ghosn as chairman after the arrest last month.

Renault said at the time Mr Ghosn would remain as its chairman and chief executive, but has appointed a temporary deputy chief executive to take over the running of the firm.

Despite selling fewer vehicles, Renault has a 43% shareholding in Nissan, while Nissan's stake in Renault is only 15%.

Nissan holds a 34% stake in Mitsubishi, but has effective control of the company.