TOKYO – Major Japanese beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Friday that it has confirmed a ransomware attack with signs of information leakage, amid a system failure with no timeline for recovery.
Most of the company’s order-taking and shipping operations have been halted since Monday, when the failure occurred, affecting products consigned to Asahi as well as its own product lines and raising fears of stock shortages among retailers.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference, “The relevant ministries and agencies are cooperating to gather information,” in a rare comment on problems at a private firm by the top government spokesman.
An official at a supermarket in Yokohama near Tokyo expressed concern about economic losses from running out of Asahi’s products, saying there is a possibility that the company’s items “will not hit the shelves” from Sunday.
Another supermarket near Tokyo has suspended online orders of Asahi’s goods until the firm provides a clear outlook for recovery.
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has put up notices in its stores warning of possible shortages of popular products, while shipments of some items supplied by Asahi have been suspended.
FamilyMart Co. said products consigned to Asahi are expected to run low or go out of stock. Lawson Inc. said it plans to prepare alternatives to minimize the impact.
Asahi posted around 3 trillion yen ($20 billion) in sales on a consolidated basis for the year through December. It is known for its “Super Dry” beer, “Mitsuya Cider” carbonated drink and “Calpis” lactic acid bacteria beverage.
Successive ransomware attacks have recently hit Japanese companies, including major publisher Kadokawa Corp.
AloJapan.com