A former employee of “Alps Alpine,” a major electronic components company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, has been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Public Security Bureau on suspicion of illegally taking the company’s trade secrets while still employed. The suspect, Zhang Tianwen (32) a Chinese national in his 30s, has since changed jobs to a leading domestic automotive manufacturer and is suspected of attempting to use the taken data in his new position.
According to sources close to the investigation, the man, who was an employee of Alps Alpine, allegedly saved proprietary data related to the design of automotive components onto his personal hard disk from a company-owned computer in November 2021, just before leaving the company.
The suspect had been working in the automotive-related division of Alps Alpine and resigned in November of the same year. Shortly after resigning, he secured a new position with a major domestic automaker.
During his employment at Alps Alpine, the suspect likely had authorized access to the trade secret data. The Public Security Bureau is currently examining whether any additional data was taken and investigating the motives and circumstances behind the attempt to use the data at the new place of employment.
Alps Alpine, formed by the merger of Alps Electric, an electronic component manufacturer, and Alpine, a leading car navigation system provider, is a prominent player in the electronic components industry, particularly in the manufacturing of in-car navigation systems and car audio products. The consolidated sales for the fiscal year ending March 2023 amounted to approximately 933.1 billion yen.
