A Japanese court says lawyers for Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman detained for more than three months in Tokyo, have requested his release on bail.

The request for Ghosn's release was made Thursday. Two earlier such requests were rejected.

Ghosn was arrested Nov. 19, and charged with falsifying financial reports in under-reporting his compensation and with breach of trust in his handling of investment losses and making payments to a Saudi businessman.

Auto industry veteran Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades, recently hired a new defense lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, who has a reputation for winning acquittals in a system where 99 percent of the cases end with guilty verdicts.

Prosecutors have fought against granting Ghosn's release on bail, saying they fear he might tamper with evidence.