Employee loses USB drive full of citizens' personal data

• Man loses USB after drinking alcohol for several hours. 
• Man worked for company tasked with providing benefits to tax-exempt families.
• USB contain names, dates of birth, addresses and sensitive information of all residents of city. 

A Japanese man lost a USB drive carrying sensitive information of Amagasaki residents following a drinking night with friends on Tuesday, according to the BBC.

Local media stated that the unidentified man spent several hours drinking alcohol in a local hotel but realised that his bag was missing once he had left the hotel.

The Japanese broadcaster reported that the man, in his 40s, worked for a company that was tasked with providing benefits to tax-exempt families.

The USB contained the names, dates of birth, addresses and sensitive information of all residents of the city, including tax details, bank account numbers and families receiving social security, officials said.

Officials said the data in the USB drive is encrypted and locked with a password. So far, there has been no sign that anyone has tried to access the information.

However, the embarrassing incident prompted authorities, the city's mayor and other leaders to apologise to residents.

It is unknown whether the employee will be punished for his mistake.