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Drinks after work probably seemed like a good idea – but for one worker in Japan the hangover is likely to last for some time.

The unnamed worker lost a USB flash drive containing the personal details of every resident of the city of Amagasaki, northwest of Osaka, after going for drinks this week, according to a statement from the city's government.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that the worker, a man in his 40s, fell asleep on the street after drinking alcohol at a restaurant. When he woke up, his bag containing the flash drive was gone.

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The man works for a company tasked with providing benefits to tax-exempt households, the city government's statement said.

On Tuesday, he went to the city administration's information center and transferred residents' data onto a flash drive. The data included the names, birth dates, and addresses of 465,177 people, the statement said – the city's entire population.

The flash drive also contained sensitive information including tax details, bank account names and numbers, and information on households receiving public assistance such as childcare payments.

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On Wednesday, the employee searched for the flash drive but couldn't find it, so he filed a lost property report with the police, according to the government statement. Later that afternoon, the company notified city authorities about the loss.

The flash drive is encrypted, and no data leak has been confirmed yet, authorities said in the statement.

It added that though the employee had been authorised to access the data, he had not been given permission to transfer it onto a separate electronic device. The statement also criticised the employee for failing to erase the data from the flash drive after completing his work at the city office, and for carrying it personally instead of using a more secure transportation method.

Authorities held a news conference on Thursday, with the city's mayor and other officials bowing in apology to residents.

The city will make payments to eligible households without delays, and will provide more information on the case as they investigate, said the official statement – which ended with a pointed reminder for government employees to get permission before taking flash drives out of the city's offices.

A forensic reporter leading new investigations into the 'Frankston' serial killer has revealed new details about the felon, who was found guilty of murdering three young women in the 1990s.

Paul Denyer was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Natalie Russell, 18-year-old Elizabeth Stevens and Deborah Fream, 22, in the Frankston area of Melbourne over a several week period, sending shockwaves of fear through the community.

Stevens was killed after leaving a bus on her way home from the library while young mum, Fream was ambushed by Denyer in her car.

Natalie was murdered as she walked home from school.

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Denyer confessed to the murders after days of questioning and 1500 questions from detectives who noticed his "chilling" interest in the cases.

Crime reporter John Silvester, who leads the forensic examination in a new documentary on the murders, said serial killers often like to place themselves in the story and that Denyer was no different.

"He wanted to be the centre of attention and he was too clever," Silvester said.

"He was able to identify exactly where he was seven weeks earlier at the time of the first murder and detectives thought- this isn't right."

He added Denyer's resolve was shaken when a detective noticed cuts on his hand, and told the killer they didn't believe his story.

Silvester said Denyer had then noticed a cross during the interrogations and asked one of the detectives if he was a Christian.

"He said- 'I'll tell you. I did it. I killed all three'," the reporter said.

"Once he decided to confess he wasn't begrudging or ashamed he was enthusiastic, it's like he was bragging to police about how clever he was."

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Silvester said it remains shocking 30 years later the impact the murders had on the community, with people fearful of leaving their homes and constantly checking streets while the murders were taking place.

Silvester said shop attendants would walk women to their cars for fear they would be abducted.

"That was the level of fear," he said.

"Some of these investigators I continue to be good friends and I didn't realise how much it had impacted on them.

"We all think we work under pressure but I always think back at this homicide squad where everyday they knew they didn't find him they knew were closer to another murder.

"This was before CCTV and phones so police were going through lists and lists of known offenders and Denyer was not on the list- It was a member of the public who put him in the frame for the first time."

Originally sentenced to life behind bars, 51-year-old Denyer- now known as Paula appealed the decision and was granted a 30-year-sentence without parole.

He will soon be eligible for parole and could be back in the community from next year.

The victim's families, politicians and the Frankston community have furiously pushed back against this decision.

"Not one person who has dealt with him suggests that that is a good idea because no one, no expert can give us a guarantee that he's not a danger to society," Silvester said.

"This is not about protecting Denyer, Denyer is irrelevant it's about protecting the community and therefore he must stay in jail."

Nine, the publisher of this website, is the owner of Stan, where No Mercy No remorse is currently streaming