Local media reports that a Chinese staff working at the finance ministry on a night out with coworkers lost documents that contained the personal information of 187 people suspected of drug trafficking.
The individual, who has not been named, apparently drank nine glasses of beer during a five-hour-long evening out with co-workers in Yokohama on 6 February.
According to local press, he didn’t realize he had lost his case until after taking a train to Sumida, where he lived.
According to common broadcaster NHK, the finance ministry has expressed its “deep regret” for the event that” considerably undermined open trust.”
According to the government, the bag contained documents that included the names and addresses of 187 marijuana-related smugglers and recipients.
It had also contained company devices with the owner’s personal data.
The individual, who is assigned to the traditions and tax commission, was never named in the NHK statement.
On Tuesday, a common holiday in Japan, the BBC has reached out to the finance department for comment.
In Japan, where business offers and challenging problems are discussed over bottles of pleasure and beer, alcohol has long been seen as a social fluid for thousands of years.
Alcohol is thought to make for a more comfortable environment for such discussions.