The French government has denied the allegation, while Nissan has characterized its relationship with Renault as unequal and said the French automaker kept it in the dark over its merger plans with FCA. Citing emails and sources close to the companies, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nissan is now asking Renault to reduce its 43 percent stake in the Japanese automaker. Nissan controls 15 percent and has no voting rights in Renault, which is also part-owned by the French government. A rebalanced relationship would help ease some of the tensions between the two automakers and relieve Nissan's reluctance to back the merger with FCA, the paper said.