According to a report by the Japanese news agency Kyodo on Tuesday, it was revealed by sources that an official from Japan’s nuclear regulatory agency lost a work smartphone containing confidential information during a private visit to China in November 2025.
The smartphone has yet to be recovered and it reportedly contains the names and contact information of staff members in the nuclear safety division of the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority was established in 2012 as an administrative organization created in response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, with the responsibility of overseeing nuclear safety in Japan.
The incident has been reported to the Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan by the nuclear regulatory agency, acknowledging the possibility of information leakage.
The nuclear safety division is tasked with safeguarding nuclear materials at domestic facilities in Japan. Due to the need for strict information management to prevent terrorist attacks or theft of nuclear materials, the contact information of staff members in this division is not publicly disclosed.
Sources cited by Kyodo mentioned that the official is believed to have lost the smartphone on November 3, 2025, during a security check at Shanghai airport while removing items from their carry-on luggage.
Three days later, the official discovered the loss of the smartphone, contacted Shanghai airport, but it was not found.
Due to the smartphone being out of communication range, remote locking or erasing of data on the device was not possible.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority stated that work smartphones are issued to employees with instructions to carry them at all times, even during overseas travels, to be prepared in case of emergencies.
As of now, there are no indications that the device has been misused.
An official from the nuclear regulatory agency mentioned that efforts will be made to prevent such incidents from happening again, and there are plans to review the regulations regarding carrying smartphones during international travels.
According to NHK, the official reported the loss of the smartphone on November 6, having been in Shanghai for a visit before returning to Japan on November 3, when the smartphone was apparently lost during a security check.
The smartphone, besides storing the names and contact details of committee employees responsible for nuclear safety work, also contained information related to anti-terrorism measures for nuclear facilities.
Bloomberg also cited officials from the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan confirming the incident.