[Important] Apology regarding the leak of personal information of graduates (2017-2022)

It has come to light that a staff member of our university's careers department mistakenly sent a file containing personal information of a graduate of our university via a Microsoft Teams chat.
Our university is currently responding swiftly to identify those who have been affected and to get a grip on the situation.
At present, there is no evidence that personal information has been used improperly in this case, but we will continue to take appropriate measures in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.
To prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, we will take thorough measures to prevent recurrence, including strengthening in-house training for faculty and staff on personal information protection and information security.

1. Background etc.
In July 2023, the Career Development Department created a "List of Employment Information for Senior Students" for the past six years. When creating the list, data containing personal information of graduates and students who completed their studies (2017-2022 academic years) was used, but the data was mistakenly provided to multiple students between August 2023 and May 2025 without deleting the sheet containing personal information. The leak of personal information was discovered on May 30, 2025 after receiving a consultation from a student who had received the data.

2. Information contained in the mistakenly sent file and its destination ①Personal information: Student ID number, name, furigana, name of faculty/ Undergraduate Schools, gender, date of birth, current address, phone number,
Mobile phone number, email address, career path, job type ② Number of personal information leaks
9,213 students (graduated from 2017 to 2022)
③Destination
122 students from Setsunan University(including students who have already graduated)

3. Response to the affected parties: All sheets containing personal information were deleted on May 31 after the leak was discovered, and they are no longer accessible. There have been no reports of damage caused by this information leak to date (as of June 5, 2025).
We plan to send out letters of apology by mail to the 9,213 graduating students whose personal information was leaked.
・We will explain the situation to each of the current students to whom the emails were sent and apologize to them.
・We plan to send letters of apology by mail to all graduates to whom the emails were sent.
・Report to the Personal Information Protection Commission (Cabinet Office Committee) (reported on June 4, 2025)

4. Efforts to prevent recurrence ・We will once again issue a thorough reminder to all faculty and staff to manage personal information properly.
・We will thoroughly check whether the content of emails and chats, including attachments, is appropriate when sending them, and will improve the checking system.
- We will continue to make sure that all faculty and staff are aware of the importance of complying with laws and regulations regarding proper administrative procedures and the handling of personal information through training and other means.

5. Apologies to all concerned parties and contact information regarding this matter Once again, we would like to offer our deepest apologies to all concerned parties and others for the considerable inconvenience and concern caused.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at the details listed below.

June 6, 2025
Setsunan University
President Yasuyuki Kubo


[Contact point for inquiries regarding this matter]
Setsunan University Employment Department Employment Division
Phone number: 072‐839‐9109
Email: SETSUNAN.Shushoku@josho.ac.jp
Reception hours: 9:00-17:00 (weekdays)