A Taiwanese investigation into the possible theft of chip technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is putting a low-profile, lesser-known tech linchpin in Japan under unusual scrutiny.

Three Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. employees were taken into custody Tuesday after company officials detected "unauthorized activities" and a leak of its trade secrets related to "core technologies.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company said Tuesday it had discovered “unauthorized activities” of employees suspecting of stealing trade secrets related to its advanced computer chips.