The Japanese automotive sector is at a crossroads as Nissan faces a pivotal leadership shake-up that could reignite stalled merger talks with Honda. The collapse of discussions last week between Japan’s second and third-largest automakers left Nissan grappling with uncertainty.

Japan’s Nissan and Honda have ended discussions on a deal that would have created the world’s third-largest carmaker.

CEO Makoto Uchida could very well fall on his sword: "If everybody says we no longer need Uchida-san,” the head of Nissan told reporters, "please fire me.”