Japan Nuclear Agency Official Loses Phone With Sensitive Information In China

An employee of Japan's nuclear regulator lost his phone containing highly sensitive information in China while on a personal trip in November. The phone had the name and contact details of staff in charge of nuclear security, according to media reports. 

He misplaced his phone after going through a security check at Shanghai airport and realised three days later. Despite reaching out to airport authorities, he could not find the device. 

The incident comes as Japan approved the decision to revive its atomic energy programme, nearly 15 years after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster that led to a total nuclear shutdown.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) was formed after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, the meltdown that happened after a magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami. 

The country's Personal Information Protection Commission was informed about the incident, after which it issued a warning against carrying work phones abroad.

A few NRA staff are required to carry disaster-prevention smartphones in case of nuclear accidents or major earthquakes.

However, this is not the first time Japan's nuclear officials have been a part of security lapses. In 2023, a worker at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant misplaced documents after leaving them on the roof of a car and driving off.

Another worker at the same power plant made copies of confidential documents and locked them in a desk. 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has backed nuclear restarts to strengthen energy security and to counter the cost of imported fossil fuels, which account for 60% to 70% of Japan's electricity generation.

Japan spent 10.7 trillion yen ($68 billion) last year on imported liquefied natural gas and coal, a tenth of its total import costs.

Despite its shrinking population, Japan expects energy demand to rise over the coming decade due to a boom in power-hungry AI data centres.

To meet those needs and its decarbonisation commitments, it has set a target of doubling the share of nuclear power in its electricity mix to 20% by 2040.

(With inputs from agencies)