A document appearing to be a printed copy of an email from a Chofu Municipal Government employee to section chiefs at the transport ministry and other operators of tunnel construction work is seen. It reads, "Handle with extreme care." (Mainichi/Ken Aoshima)

       TOKYO -- The personal information of a suburban Tokyo resident who filed freedom of information requests on a sinkhole accident was leaked nine times between June and October 2021 in local government communications with affiliated parties, it has emerged.

       The 74-year-old resident submitted the request in connection with an October 2020 incident in which a large hole opened up in the road along a tunnel construction route for the Tokyo Outer Ring Road. His name and other personal information were disclosed by the Chofu Municipal Government to three parties affiliated with the work on the road. Leaking information from which individuals who filed the right-to-information requests can be identified is an act that rocks the disclosure system's foundational aims for open administration.

       The man said he repeatedly filed freedom of information requests for the municipal government to reveal documents it has regarding the construction work. Although the city of Chofu is not the operator in charge of the construction, it does in some cases receive related documents from the operators -- the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the East Nippon Expressway Co. and the Central Nippon Expressway Co. As a result of the man's requests, a document with blacked out parts including the names of individuals who headed operations was released.

       He learned of the personal information leaks in late October this year, when an anonymous letter appearing to be from a whistleblower was delivered to his home. It read, "Your personal information has been completely exposed," and enclosed was a copy of a freedom of information request letter dated Oct. 1.

       It contained the man's name, home address and other information, and what appears to be a printed copy of an email a municipal official sent to section chiefs at the transport ministry and expressway companies. The email read, "As we have received a freedom of information request, we will provide you with the information," and, "Please handle this with extreme care, in the same manner as last time."

       The Chofu Municipal Government says it learned of the leak on Nov. 8, after a similar anonymous letter exposing it came addressed to Mayor Yoshiki Nagatomo. A senior city official visited the man's home on Nov. 10 to apologize.

       Why did this happen? Mai Kato, chief of the municipal government's town planning section, said the employees who handled the case initially phoned the construction operators to inform them of the disclosure request. However, as the city continued to receive right-to-information requests from the same individual, in June this year, the employees began conveying the request letters by attaching them to emails with the description, "Handle with extreme care."

       This October 2020 photo taken from a Mainichi Shimbun helicopter shows a sinkhole in a road in the Tokyo suburban city of Chofu. (Mainichi/Tatsuro Tamaki)

       Although the measures were apparently taken to "send an initial notice a disclosure request had arrived," parts containing the man's personal information were not concealed. Furthermore, the two employees handling the matter did not obtain their superior's approval to send the emails.

       Kato explained the man's personal information was revealed due to "mistakes from a lack of awareness among the workers on personal information protection." Regarding the "handle with extreme care" note, she said it was an "expression often used in email communications," and denied any intentions to deliberately cover up the leak.

       The city has explained it needed to hear construction operators' opinions based on municipal ordinance on information disclosure. But the ordinance has no provisions specifying that such procedures need to be taken for public agencies. At the same time, the city government had not taken procedures in accordance with the ordinance when it sought private-sector operators' views.

       Mayor Nagatomo said in a Nov. 25 regular press conference, "I sincerely apologize for causing huge inconvenience and worry to the individual who filed the disclosure requests, as well as all residents. However, it is categorically not the case that we tried to handle matters with some sort of organizational motive."

       The man who filed the requests commented, "I believe they're not simple errors, but deliberate leaks and I believe their actions violated the duty of confidentiality stipulated in the local public service law." He has demanded further explanations from the city.

       Masahiro Uzaki, professor emeritus at Dokkyo University and an expert on the information disclosure system, questioned the municipal government's handling of the case. "If information belonging to the individual requesting disclosure is leaked to external parties or stakeholders, that person comes under pressure which leads to them refraining from filing requests. It risks running counter to the system's objective of open administration. Inquiries seeking operators' opinions should also be conducted in accordance with local ordinance provisions."

       (Japanese original by Ken Aoshima, Tokyo City News Department and Yongho Lee, Machida Resident Bureau)

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