Asahi beer shortage fears mount in Japan as cyber attack wreaks havoc

Japan is reportedly set for a shortage of Asahi beer after the drinks group was forced to halt factory production in the wake of a cyber attack.

The Japanese brewing giant revealed on Monday it had suffered a system failure caused by a hack, which was affecting its operations in Japan and meant it had to pause all its order and shipment operations in the country, leaving most of its 30 nationwide factories at a standstill.

Retailers such as 7-Eleven Japan and FamilyMart are now said to be warning over shortages of Asahi products on their shelves as stocks come under pressure.

It is thought Asahi is just days away from running out of stock of its signature Super Dry lager as inventories are depleted, according to reports.

The group’s call centre and customer service desks have also been impacted, although it said on Monday that customer data did not appear to have been stolen.

Asahi said it was “actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery”.

It added the issues were limited to its Japanese operations and not its wider global business.

Asahi owns Fullers in the UK, as well as worldwide brands including Peroni, Grolsch and Pilsner Urquell.

It is understood the hackers disabled the firm’s ordering and delivery system.

This has meant the firm has also had to put plans on hold to launch a raft of new products, such as soft drinks and some food ranges it also produces, reports said.

Asahi has been approached for comment.