News Drunken data leaks: a recurring problem for Japanese government workers

[thomas]

CNN looked at why (usually young) Japanese government officials keep losing sensitive data while going on a bender.

In Japan, after-work drinking has led to serious security breaches by government employees. In a recent incident, a Finance Ministry employee in Yokohama consumed nine beers over five hours with a colleague. After leaving the restaurant and returning home, he discovered his missing bag. The bag contained sensitive documents with personal information, including names, addresses, and case summaries of 187 individuals, one of whom was a suspected drug smuggler. The bag also held the employee's laptop, which contained personal data about him and his colleagues. This incident follows at least one other similar case in recent years.

The ministry apologized for undermining the public's trust, saying it would investigate the matter and take "strict action" as needed. So far, there have been no reports that the lost information has been used illegally, it said. As of Thursday, the documents and computer had not been found. It may sound like an astonishing blunder – but it's not the first time something like this has happened. In 2022, another government worker lost a USB flash drive containing the personal details of every resident of the city of Amagasaki, northwest of The flash drive contained the names, birth dates, and addresses of 465,177 people – the city's entire population. It also contained sensitive information, including tax details, bank account names and numbers, and information on households receiving public assistance, such as childcare payments.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/12/asia/japan-government-worker-loses-data-drinking-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[dracuella]

This is pure madness. I work for the government and we're under strict orders that if we do take anything containing sensitive data with us, it never leaves our side. And under no circumstances do we bring it somewhere when we intend to get drunk.