Lost Phone Causing Big Headache for Japan’s Nuke Regulator

Japan’s nuclear watchdog is facing scrutiny after a security lapse involving a lost government-issued smartphone in China.

According to Japanese media, an employee of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) misplaced a work phone containing confidential contact information for staff in its nuclear security division. That division is responsible for protecting nuclear materials from threats such as theft and terrorism.

The phone was reportedly lost on Nov. 3 during a security screening at an airport in Shanghai while the employee was traveling on a private trip. The loss was not discovered until three days later, when the employee returned to the airport to search for the device but was unable to recover it. The BBC reported on the incident.

The NRA has acknowledged that it “cannot rule out the possibility of an information leak,” according to the Japan Times. The phone cannot be remotely locked or erased because it is currently out of range.

Local outlets reported that the device was one of several emergency-use phones issued to select NRA staff so they can respond quickly during crises, including when they are overseas. In response to the incident, the NRA has reportedly instructed employees not to take work phones abroad.

The incident comes at a sensitive time as Japan continues efforts to restart nuclear reactors that were shut down following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The NRA was established after that crisis to strengthen oversight, but its security practices have faced repeated criticism.

Since 2023, there have been at least two cases involving mishandled confidential documents at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear facility in the world. This week, the NRA also suspended its review of nuclear plant operator Chubu Electric Power, citing what it described as the fabrication of critical inspection data.

original source