A ministry's Japanese funding employee with colleagues has lost documents containing the personal data of 187 people suspected of smuggling drugs, local media say.
The non -baptized employee reported that he had drank nine glasses of beer during a five -hour night with colleagues in Yokohama on February 6th.
The local media said he did not realize that he had lost his bag until he went off his train at home in another city, Sumida.
The Ministry of Finance said it was “deep regret” about the incident, which “significantly undermines public confidence”, according to public television operator NHK.
The bag contained documents that had the names and addresses of 187 suspected smugglers of drugs and recipients of marijuana seeds, the ministry said.
It also contained business laptops with the employee's personal data.
The employee who was appointed to the Customs and Tariffs Bureau is not indicated in the NHK report.
The BBC contacted the Finance Ministry for comment on Tuesday, an official holiday in Japan.
Alcohol has long been seen as a social lubricant for thousands of years in Japan, where business deals and difficult problems are discussed on bottles of beer and sake.
Alcohol drinking is thought to create a more relaxed environment for such discussions.