City admits data on 460,000 residents lost after night out drinking

A Japanese city has been left with more than a headache after admitting a contractor lost a USB containing personal data on all 460,000 residents during a night out.

The western city of Amagasaki said Thursday that a private contractor, whose name has not been disclosed, was carrying the memory stick when he went to have drinks after work.

But the individual, who was working on a municipal pandemic relief program, lost the bag containing the USB on Tuesday evening.

"We deeply regret that we have profoundly harmed the public's trust in the administration of the city," an Amagasaki official told a press conference.

The city of Amagasaki in western Japan said that it has lost a USB flash drive containing personal information on all of its roughly 460,000 residents. https://t.co/1dEVW4F0rA

— The Japan Times (@japantimes) June 23, 2022

The information was copied onto the USB to facilitate its transfer to a call center in nearby Osaka.

It included the names, genders, addresses, birthdays and other personal information of all the city's residents, as well as tax data and bank account information on some locals, the city said.