The lost data included residents’ names, addresses, dates of birth and the bank account numbers of welfare-receiving households, among other things.

There is no evidence of data being leaked so far, according to the city in Hyogo prefecture.

An employee of a company commissioned to assist the city’s roll-out of Covid-19 relief funds lost a bag that had the flash drive inside after dining and drinking at a restaurant Tuesday, the city said.

The employee reported to police yesterday.

The data were encrypted and protected with a password, according to the city.

“We will thoroughly ensure security management when handling electronic data,” the city said in a statement.

“We will work to regain our residents’ trust by heightening awareness of the importance of protecting personal information.”