Asahi Kasei former executive arrested for leaking semiconductor secrets to China

Japanese police have arrested Shoichi Furukawa, a 66-year-old former executive at chemical giant Asahi Kasei, for allegedly leaking semiconductor-related trade secrets to a Chinese firm. Furukawa is accused of violating Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act by failing to return digital storage devices containing production data upon his departure from Asahi Kasei in 2018 and subsequently emailing that data to Shandong Shengquan New Materials Co., Ltd. in September 2022.

The leaked information concerns “Novacure,” a latent curing agent used in semiconductor manufacturing adhesives and automotive parts. Asahi Kasei confirmed the data reached the Chinese company and announced plans to file civil lawsuits to demand the destruction of the information and an injunction against its use.

Investigations have revealed that Furukawa may have also misappropriated technical information from another major chemical manufacturer where he worked after leaving Asahi Kasei. The matter came to light after that subsequent employer reported a potential leak to the Aichi Prefectural Police. Authorities are currently investigating whether technical data from multiple companies has been transferred to entities in China.