An employee of the Japanese Ministry of Finance in a night out with colleagues lost documents containing personal information of 187 people suspected of drug smuggling, according to local media.
The employee, who was not appointed, was allegedly drank nine glasses of beer during a five -hour night out with his associates in Yokohama on February 6th.
The local media said he did not realize that he had lost his bag until he went down with a train home home in another city, Sumida.
The Ministry of Finance has said that he is “deeply sorry” because of the incident that “significantly undermined public trust,” said NHK public television presenter.
The bag contained documents that had the names and addresses of 187 suspects of drug smugglers and marijuana seed recipients, the Ministry said.
It also contained business laptops with employees’ personal data.
The employee, which was awarded to Customs and tariff office, was not appointed in the NHK report.
The BBC on Tuesday addressed the Ministry of Finance for Comment on Tuesday, a public holiday in Japan.
Alcohol has long been considered a social lubricant in Japan for thousands of years, where business offers and difficult problems about beer and sake bottles have been discussed.
Alcohol drinking is believed to create a more relaxed environment for such discussions.
