"Saikawa recently has indicated his inclination to resign, and in line with his desire to pass the baton to a new generation of leaders at Nissan, he will resign on September 16," Chairman Yasushi Kimura told reporters.

The company said in a statement it aimed to find a permanent replacement by the end of October.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Edmund Blair)