An employee of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is suspected of having leaked confidential information to a construction consulting firm in Tokyo before the bidding process for a Japan-aided railway renovation project in the Philippines.

In May 2018, the JICA employee allegedly leaked estimated project costs and the Philippine government's personnel plan for the MRT Line 3 renovation project in Manila, funded by a yen loan from Japan, according to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun. JICA is responsible for most of Japan's overseas aid known as the official development assistance (ODA).

The employee reportedly intended to secure in advance a contractor that would be successful in bidding to prevent delays in the ¥38.1 billion project.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki confirmed during a news conference on Tuesday that information regarding the project was leaked.

“The government takes the occurrence of the information leak seriously and will closely supervise JICA's measures to prevent a recurrence,” he said.

In an email sent to the Tokyo consulting company on the day Manila announced it would solicit bids for the project, the JICA employee thanked the company and called the project "the fastest in JICA's history," the daily newspaper reported Wednesday. The email was apparently sent under the assumption that the firm would participate in the bid and that the process from there on would be smooth, the newspaper said.

Shortly before the leak occurred, Japan’s Foreign Ministry had released details of the yen loan for the project, including an interest rate of 0.1% and a repayment period of 40 years.

In July, JICA announced a one-month suspension for an employee who leaked confidential procurement information.

The total amount of ODA extended to the Philippines from 2017 through 2021 was $11.3 billion, according to government data.