Japanese brewer Asahi delays product launches, halts deliveries after cyberattack

Japanese beverage giant Asahi is struggling to restore operations following a cyberattack that has disrupted its business for most of the week, raising fears of shortages of the country’s top-selling beer.

Most of Asahi’s 30 factories across Japan have been idle since Monday, when the attack crippled its logistics network, according to the Financial Times. Local media reported that pub owners and liquor stores have already missed deliveries and warned they may soon run out of Asahi Super Dry, the country’s most popular brand.

The attack has also forced the brewer to delay the launch of a dozen new products — including soft drinks, sparkling water and cough drops — that were originally scheduled to roll out in mid-October, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Asahi confirmed on Monday that its order processing, shipments, call centers and some customer services remain suspended due to a system failure linked to the attack. The company said it has not detected any leak of customer or personal data. Japanese media reported the firm has notified police it may have been targeted by ransomware.

Shares in the company fell 2.6% on Thursday as the outage stretched into its fourth day. The group, which reported first-half revenue of more than $9 billion, owns dozens of beverage brands and also produces food and consumer goods in Japan.

Operations outside Japan — including in Europe, where Asahi sells Peroni and Grolsch — have reportedly not been affected.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The company has not replied to requests for comment and has not offered a timeline for restoring normal operations.

Beverage companies have been frequent targets of hackers worldwide, with several major breweries and distribution firms in Russia, Germany, Belgium and Sweden hit by ransomware attacks in recent years.