Khaberni - The Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan announced the loss of a work-issued smartphone, which contained highly sensitive contact information, after one of its employees lost it during a trip to China late last year.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority clarified that the employee lost the phone during a personal trip to China in November, according to the Asahi Shimbun, noting that the device has not been found yet, and contained names and contact details of personnel handling tasks related to the security of nuclear facilities, information that is not disclosed publicly due to its high level of confidentiality.
The authority added that it has informed the Personal Information Protection Commission about the incident, confirming that it cannot rule out the possibility of information leakage, although no misuse of the information has been recorded to date.
According to the authority and other sources, the employee believes the phone was lost on November 3 while passing through security inspection procedures at an airport in Shanghai, and the loss was not noticed until three days later, after which he immediately reached out to airport officials and relevant authorities in an attempt to recover it.
The division the employee belongs to is responsible for protecting nuclear materials at facilities within Japan, including implementing measures to prevent acts of terrorism and theft, and as part of the adopted measures, the identities of those working in nuclear security and their direct contact details are kept confidential, in order to minimize potential security risks.
To ensure a rapid response in emergencies, such as nuclear accidents or major earthquakes, a number of the authority's employees are equipped with smartphones specifically for disaster prevention, and are required to carry them at all times.
In light of this incident, the authority has warned its employees against taking work-issued phones abroad, and an official from the authority told Kyodo News that the agency will work to tighten guidelines directed at employees, and review internal regulations, including clarifying policies related to carrying government devices while traveling abroad.
