TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor chairman whose legal problems have put the fate of a global automotive empire in doubt, will stay in jail for at least the rest of the year, a Tokyo court ruled Sunday.

Under the ruling, Mr. Ghosn will remain in custody until Jan. 1, giving the Japanese authorities more time to question him on suspicion of further wrongdoing while running Nissan. Under Japanese law, prosecutors can ask that Mr. Ghosn be held for another 10 days after that, raising the possibility that he could be in jail until at least Jan. 11.

The court’s decision was largely expected after Mr. Ghosn was arrested on Friday for a third time, this time on suspicion that he offloaded personal investment losses onto the company’s books. Mr. Ghosn already faces charges that he underreported his executive compensation for a number of years.

The new arrest effectively gave prosecutors an opportunity to ask the court that he be kept in custody longer, even as it showed that prosecutors in Japan are widening the scope of their investigation into his leadership at the company. Mr. Ghosn had been set to apply to be released on bail on Friday.