Stalking victims' personal information was mistakenly passed to their abusers in 119 cases since fiscal 2016, internal affairs minister Fujii Hihayoshi told a news conference on Tuesday, calling the breaches regrettable.
Fujii said at a news conference after a cabinet meeting that the system should have been operated with a sense of urgency. "It is regrettable that leaks occurred," he said, Kyodo News reported.
The figure covers cases in which information on victims of stalking and similar crimes reached the perpetrators, the people the system is meant to keep away from them.
Minister also questioned over vote-buying report
Fujii, elected from Hyogo's 4th district, was asked separately about a weekly magazine report alleging vote-buying by campaign workers. He said he believes he is responding appropriately.