Japanese brewing giant Asahi Group has partially resumed production at all six of its domestic breweries after a cyber-attack forced a complete shutdown, disrupting supplies of its popular beer and other products across the country.
The company confirmed that limited operations have restarted at facilities producing its flagship Asahi Super Dry, as well as at plants manufacturing soft drinks and food items. However, Asahi cautioned that its breweries and factories are not yet running at full capacity.
The disruption had ripple effects across Japan’s retail sector. Major convenience store chains, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, warned last week of dwindling beer supplies after Asahi’s ordering and delivery systems were crippled by the cyber-attack.
Asahi, Japan’s largest brewer, is also a leading producer of soft drinks and food products, and it supplies own-brand goods to several retailers. The company said that while its factory production systems were not directly compromised, operations had to be suspended because it could not process orders or shipments.
“All seven of our food production sites have resumed operations, though not yet at full scale,” Asahi said in a statement. “Two soft drink plants have partially reopened, and five more will resume gradually in accordance with shipments.”
The attack, which has not been publicly attributed to any specific group, marks the latest in a string of cyber incidents targeting major global manufacturers. British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, for instance, continues to grapple with production issues months after a similar cyber-attack disrupted its systems.
Asahi’s international operations, which include ownership of Fuller’s in the UK and well-known global beer brands such as Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch, were not affected. The breach impacted only the company’s Japanese network, which accounts for roughly half of Asahi Group’s total sales.
The company said it is working with external cybersecurity experts to restore its digital systems and resume full production as soon as possible. “We are unable to provide a clear timeline for recovery at this stage,” Asahi said on Friday.
The incident has highlighted the growing vulnerability of global supply chains and food and beverage producers to cyber threats, with attacks increasingly targeting logistics and ordering systems rather than production equipment itself.
