Personal info on guardians of truant kids mistakenly posted on Japan pref. gov’t site

UTSUNOMIYA — A report on a financial aid program for truant students posted on the Tochigi Prefectural Government’s website mistakenly included the names, bank accounts and other personal information of 15 guardians, the Mainichi Shimbun learned on Aug. 2.

According to the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education, at 9 p.m. on Aug. 1, an employee in charge posted a “report on the implementation of a financial assistance program for truant students” for fiscal 2023 on the prefectural government’s website. The person was unaware that the home addresses, names and bank account numbers of the guardians of the 15 students were listed in the report. This information was available for anyone to view. The following morning at 10:30 a.m., a contact from the relevant organization revealed that the information had been posted online, and it was removed at 11 a.m.

This happened because the content was not thoroughly checked before it was posted on the website. The education board has apologized to the guardians by phone and via other means and is checking to see if there was any secondary damage, which had not been reported as of 6 p.m. on Aug. 2.

The program is a national government-commissioned project to support families facing financial difficulties by covering the costs of transportation and hands-on activities for children attending municipal education centers and alternative schools.

The education board has stated that it will improve its checking system to prevent a recurrence, including prior reviews by multiple staff members.

(Japanese original by Hiroko Arita, Utsunomiya Bureau)