A Japan nuclear official employee lost a work-issued smartphone, possibly in China, containing a confidential list of contacts, officials and local media reported on Thursday. The device, primarily used for calls and texts during emergencies, did not contain nuclear data, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said.
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The incident came amid rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might respond militarily if Taiwan were attacked. China claims the self-ruled island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to seize it.
JUST IN: 🇯🇵🇨🇳 Japanese nuclear official loses work phone with sensitive data during a visit to China. pic.twitter.com/bDHHtqYj1u
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) January 7, 2026
According to Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun, the smartphone held the names and contact details of staff in the NRA’s nuclear security division, whose information is kept confidential due to the sensitivity of their work. The employee is believed to have lost the phone at Shanghai airport on November 3 while removing items from carry-on luggage during a security check.
The missing device was noticed three days later, but efforts to locate it were unsuccessful. Remote locking or data erasure was not possible, Kyodo reported. Japanese authorities have informed a national body overseeing proper handling of personal information about the incident.
The loss occurs as Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) seeks approval to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, the world’s largest, later this month. Japan shut down most nuclear plants after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
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With energy demand rising, partly due to the growth of artificial intelligence, Japan aims to revive nuclear power to reduce fossil fuel dependence and meet its carbon neutrality goals by 2050. The NRA continues to evaluate TEPCO’s application while also addressing the security implications of the smartphone loss.