It seemed like an extraordinary display of patriotism and unity: Japan’s biggest companies would come together to save their own, whether ailing carmaker Nissan Motor Co. or besieged convenience store giant Seven & i Holdings Co.

Nissan directors are gauging interest in candidates to succeed Makoto Uchida, the 22-year company veteran who’s been CEO since late 2019, sources said.

Nissan Motor is considering replacing its CEO Makoto Uchida following a worsening in the Japanese automaker's business performance and the collapse of talks to combine with Honda Motor, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday citing people familiar with the matter.