Overview
- The Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced the arrests on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act for the unlawful acquisition and disclosure of trade secrets.
- Those detained include BizLink president Ken Hayakawa, 53, along with three male employees, and authorities say three of the four previously worked at Libero.
- Police allege a 37-year-old then employed by Libero photographed the client list between November 12 and 29, 2024 and sent the images to BizLink via a messaging app before internal sharing by email and in print.
- Libero says it detected irregularities during a post-departure check of a former employee’s computer and reported the matter to police in January 2025.
- Mainichi reports BizLink was founded in 2016 by Hayakawa after leaving Libero, and police have not disclosed the suspects’ statements as the investigation continues.