Cyberattack Forces Japan's Largest Brewery to Stop Production at All Domestic Factories

Production at Asahi Group Holdings’ domestic factories in Japan remains halted following a cyberattack that struck the company earlier this week. The disruption began on Monday night, when Asahi, one of Japan’s largest beer and beverage producers, reported a system outage caused by the attack. The company has not been able to resume operations at its 30 plants across Japan, which manufacture beer, beverages, and food products. A spokesperson for Asahi said on Tuesday that there is no clear timeline for when production will restart.

The cyberattack has affected several key functions within Asahi’s Japanese operations. Order processing, shipping, call center services, and customer service desks have all been suspended as the company works to address the system failure. Asahi confirmed that so far, there is no evidence of personal information or customer data being leaked to external parties.

Asahi’s European operations, including those in the United Kingdom, have not been impacted by the incident. The company’s international brands such as Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch continue to operate normally outside Japan. In the UK, Asahi owns Fuller’s Brewery in west London, known for producing London Pride and other beers.

The company is actively investigating the cause of the cyberattack and is working to restore its systems. However, officials say it is still unclear whether all 30 domestic plants have completely stopped production or if some are partially operational. The full extent of the disruption is under review.

Asahi had previously identified cyberattacks as a significant risk in its annual reports. Last year, the company highlighted concerns about potential business disruptions, cash flow issues, and brand damage resulting from such incidents. It also stated that it was working to strengthen its security systems to reduce these risks.

The attack on Asahi follows a series of similar incidents affecting major companies worldwide in recent months. Other businesses targeted include Jaguar Land Rover and UK retailers Marks & Spencer and Co-op.

Asahi has issued an apology to customers and business partners for the inconvenience caused by the ongoing outage. The company says it will provide updates as more information becomes available and as efforts to restore normal operations continue. For now, consumers in Japan may face delays or shortages of popular products such as Asahi Super Dry Beer, Nikka Whisky, and Mitsuya Cider until production resumes.