Asahi Group, Japan's largest brewery, is reportedly days away from running out of its flagship Asahi Super Dry beer following a ransomware attack that disrupted production and shipments. The cyber attack, reported on Monday, forced the company to halt operations at most of its 30 factories nationwide, including those producing the popular lager.
The company has not provided a timeline for resuming normal operations, raising concerns among wholesalers and retailers. According to the Financial Times, Asahi could exhaust its Super Dry inventory within two to three days. Supermarkets and izakaya pubs are bracing for empty shelves, with some pubs potentially forced to switch suppliers.
“No immediate recovery of our system is in sight at the moment,” an unnamed Asahi spokesperson told Agence France-Presse on Friday. “Ordinary shipments remain halted. Production is not directly affected but it has been halted because shipments are suspended.”
The hackers disabled Asahi's ordering and delivery system, leading to the indefinite postponement of a dozen new product launches scheduled for later this month, including soda and protein bars. The company has reported the incident to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and confirmed that no customer data was compromised. Overseas operations remain unaffected.
Asahi, which also produces Nikka whisky and other beverages, sold 73 million cases of Super Dry last year. The disruption is particularly concerning for convenience stores like 7-11, whose operator Seven & I Holdings stated that while major disruptions have not yet occurred, notices will be placed in stores informing customers of shipment suspensions.
