Secrets Out

Secret data on reactor inspections leaked to Internet

Confidential information on nuclear power plant inspections was posted on the Internet recently by a virus in the computer of an employee contracted to do the inspections, Mitsubishi Electric Co. said Thursday.

The leak was on data on seven nuclear power plants and 13 thermal and hydroelectric power plants, according to Mitsubishi Electric, which named subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Plant Engineering Corp. as the contractor in question.

The 20 facilities are run by 12 companies.

The seven nuclear power plants are located in Hokkaido, Fukui, Kagoshima and Saga prefectures and are run by the Hokkaido, Kansai and Kyushu electric power companies and Japan Atomic Power Co.

The leaked data do not contain any information that compromises the security of nuclear material, including details on reactors or how the facilities are guarded, Mitsubishi said.

The computer was apparently infected by a virus that propagates through Winny, a Japanese peer-to-peer file-sharing program, Mitsubishi said.

The leak was about 40 to 50 megabytes -- the equivalent of 30 floppy disks.

The data included several years' worth of inspection reports and manuals, as well as photos from the inspections and health data on workers at the power plants, it said.

A Mitsubishi Electric spokesman said the incident is "truly regrettable" and noted the company is investigating.

"Our company is stepping up management of confidential information and will take steps to prevent a similar incident at the company as well as affiliated concerns," he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda acknowledged the data leak and said the government has launched its own investigation.

It has not been determined whether "a leak of critical, important information concerning protection of nuclear materials" occurred, the government's top spokesman said. But nuclear plants are important facilities subject to antiterrorism measures, and the government will strengthen management of nuclear information and publicize how the information was leaked once the probe is concluded.

The data are believed to have leaked from the computer of a maintenance management engineer at the Mitsubishi subsidiary, according to the Mitsubishi Electric spokesman.

The engineer used his own computer when inspecting the power plants, and the data are thought to have been leaked through Winny, which was installed in his computer. A virus can apparently cause Winny to send data to other computers on the Internet.

Much of the data is categorized as "industrial secret" or "classified for business purposes," and includes e-mail to the engineer's boss detailing progress on the inspections, according to the spokesman.

A Kepco spokesman said information on regular inspections of the No. 3 reactor at Mihama and the No. 4 reactor at Oi was leaked, including a list of reactor components supplied by Mitsubishi Electric for the Mihama plant.

"Given the nature of his duties, he is not supposed to have information on nuclear materials, so there was no leak of information that would cause problems for protection of nuclear materials," he said.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said it will summon officials of the utilities to report on details on the leak and whether it could compromise safety.

The Japan Times: June 24, 2005

In Japan Slavery OK under the Rules

Escaped slave's kin lose redress award in appeal

By MASAMI ITO
Staff writer

The Tokyo High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court decision and denied compensation to the family of a deceased Chinese slave laborer who lived as a fugitive for 13 years after escaping from a Hokkaido coal mine near the end of World War II.

After fleeing the mine, Liu Lianren of Shangdong Providence hid in the mountains for about 13 years, unaware that the war had ended.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Liu himself in March 1996. After he died in 2000 at age 87, his widow and two children took the lawsuit over.

In July 2001, the Tokyo District Court ordered the state to pay 20 million yen in compensation, in line with the plaintiffs' demands, recognizing that the Japanese government had neglected its responsibility to protect the rights of Liu, who was forcibly brought to Japan during the Pacific War.

The July 2001 ruling was the first in which a court held the state responsible for abducting individuals from neighboring countries to work as slave laborers in Japan.

The government appealed the ruling.

On Thursday, presiding Judge Yoshiaki Nishida ruled that the government had indeed neglected its duty to find and protect Liu after he had fled the mine. He ruled, however, that the state bears no responsibility in terms of paying damages because there was no mutual assurance between China and Japan to pay state compensation at the time Liu was found.

Nishida also judged that Japan bears no responsibility for Liu's abduction and slave labor because the Meiji Constitution, which was in effect at that time, absolved the state from liability for damages.

The judge also ruled that under the Civil Code, the 20-year statute of limitations has expired, and that Liu and his family therefore have no right to seek damages.

Nishida added that Liu and his family have no right to demand payment due to the signing of government-level agreements, including the Japan-China Joint Communique in 1972 and the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty in 1978.

At a press briefing after the ruling, the plaintiffs' lawyer, Tohru Takahashi, voiced disappointment at the verdict.

"All of the facts that we presented in court were recognized," Takahashi said. "And I had believed that if we (fought) in court according to the facts, there was no way we would lose."

Huanxin, Liu's 60-year old son, slammed the ruling, saying it reflected Japan's militaristic character.

"The relationship between Japan and China is under strain at the moment," Huanxin said. "And this ruling may have just poured oil on fire."

The son added that his father had died disappointed that this court battle was still ongoing in the 21st century.

"In my father's will, he asked us to fight until we see victory," Huanxin said. "And this, we will."

Lui's family will appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Japan Times: June 24, 2005
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