Japan nuclear safety official loses phone with sensitive information in China
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Japan nuclear safety official loses phone with sensitive information in China")
Representational Image. Photograph: (Unsplash)
The phone contained confidential contact details of staff working in nuclear security work at the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). However, the report indicated that the agency couldn't confirm if the data was leaked.
In a surprising turn of events, an employee of Japan's nuclear safety agency lost his phone containing sensitive information related to his work during a personal trip to China, according to a Japanese media report. The phone contained confidential contact details of staff working in nuclear security work at the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). However, the report indicated that the agency couldn't confirm if the data was leaked.
The incident followed after Japan attempted to revive its atomic energy programme, which had been inactive for over a decade. In 2022, Japan directed all its nuclear power plant reactors to shut down following a magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami that resulted in a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the NRA was formed to oversee nuclear safety, including the restoration of the reactors of country. It is believed that the NRA employee lost his work phone on 3 November amid a security check at a Shanghai airport on a personal trip.
The NSA issues smartphones to certain employees
Three days later, he noticed that his phone was missing. However, he checked at the airport but wasn't able to recover it. The smartphone was issued by the NSA for certain employees so they can respond quickly to emergencies, the Asahi newspaper reported.
Kyodo News reported that the affected NRA division is responsible for safeguarding nuclear materials against risks such as theft and terrorism at facilities across the country. The NRA has informed Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission about the incident and advised staff not to carry official mobile phones while travelling abroad, according to local media.
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The episode adds to a series of security lapses involving Japan’s nuclear authorities. In 2023, an employee at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in the world, misplaced a bundle of documents after leaving them on a car roof and driving away. More recently, in November, another worker at the same plant was found to have improperly handled sensitive documents by copying them and storing them in a desk.
