CEO Makoto Uchida could very well fall on his sword—whether or not Nissan’s board is still interested in a tie-up with its larger domestic rival. Japanese carmaker Honda Motor is reportedly demanding Nissan jettison CEO Makoto Uchida as a condition for reopening acquisition talks that could create the world’s third-largest carmaker by vehicle sales.

In a startling vote of no confidence, Honda is open to restarting merger talks with Nissan, but only if the latter’s CEO Makoto Uchida resigns from the company. That’s according to at least one insider,