Clients’ Data Fraudulently Accessed at Kyushu Electric

Jiji Press

15:16 JST, February 4, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Kyushu Electric Power Co. employees illicitly accessed information on 13,960 customers of so-called power producers and suppliers, or PPSs, between last October and January, the company said Friday.

The major power utility mainly serving the Kyushu reported the findings to the industry ministry’s Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission.

In a separate report to the commission, Shikoku Electric Power Co. said that information on 2,896 customers was illicitly accessed by some employees during the same period.

The commission said it will take necessary steps after examining the reports closely.

The fraudulently accessed information was held by respective transmission subsidiaries of Kyushu Electric and Shikoku Electric, a power supplier serving mainly the Shikoku. PPSs send electricity to consumers via networks of such transmission companies.

Kyushu Electric and Shikoku Electric allow their employees to access data held by the transmission subsidiaries only when they have to deal with customers in the event of emergencies such as disaster-caused blackouts.

A total of 335 Kyushu Electric employees and subcontractor workers, as well as 210 Shikoku Electric employees, viewed customer information even though they were not dealing with emergency situations, according to the reports.