Overview

• On August 1, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Economic Crimes Division referred two former TBM employees to prosecutors on suspicion of misappropriating proprietary analysis data.
• Investigators allege the suspects uploaded about 80 files of TBM’s carbon recycling technology analysis to an external server while still employed at the firm.
• Both men admitted during voluntary interrogations that they planned to use the stolen data for work at a rival company founded after their resignations.
• TBM, a Tokyo-based unicorn venture known for its limestone-based LIMEX material, dismissed its next-generation business head in September 2023 over unauthorized transfers of confidential files.
• The case underscores rising trade secret risks in Japan, with consultations on infringement reaching 79 and 22 related arrests reported in 2024.