Japan faces Asahi beer shortage after cyber-attack

"Osmond ChiaBusiness reporter Getty Images Japan is facing a shortage of Asahi products, including beer and bottled tea, as the drinks giant grapples with the impact of a major cyber-attack that has affected its operations in the country. Most of the Asahi Group's factories in Japan were brought to a standstill after the attack hit its ordering and delivering systems on Monday. Major Japanese retailers, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, have now warned customers to expect shortages of Asahi products."

"In a statement on Friday, Asahi said it was "unable to provide a clear timeline for recovery" but had started "partial manual" processing of orders and shipments. Asahi is the biggest brewer in Japan, but it also makes soft drinks and food products, as well as supplying own-brand goods to other retailers. It owns Fullers in the UK and global brands including Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch."

"In its latest statement, Asahi said that as a result of containment measures following the attack, ordering and shipment systems in Japan had been affected and it was also unable to receive emails from external sources. "Although system-based order and shipment processes remain suspended, ensuring product supply to customers has been set as our top priority and we have begun partial manual order processing and shipment," it said."

A cyber-attack disrupted Asahi Group's ordering and delivery systems in Japan, halting most domestic factories and triggering product shortages. Major retailers including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart warned customers to expect limited availability of Asahi products such as beer and bottled tea. Asahi began partial manual order processing and shipments while acknowledging it cannot provide a clear recovery timeline and cannot receive external emails. Asahi prepares to reopen call centre operations next week. The disruption affects only Japanese operations, which account for about half of sales, while global brands and overseas operations remain unaffected.

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