Japan Faces Asahi Product Shortages After Major Cyber-Attack

Industry Insights from Next Move Strategy Consulting

Japan is confronting shortages of Asahi products — notably beer and bottled tea — after a significant cyber-attack disrupted the brewer’s domestic ordering and shipment systems. Most of Asahi Group’s factories in Japan have been paused since Monday, prompting major retailers to warn customers that some items may be in short supply or out of stock.

A Widespread Operational Halt

The cyber-attack affected Asahi’s core ordering and delivery platforms, leaving system-based order and shipment processes suspended and preventing the company from receiving emails from external sources. Asahi said it could not provide a clear timeline for full recovery but has initiated partial manual processing of orders and shipments and is preparing to reopen its call-centre operations next week.

“Asahi is making every effort to restore the system as quickly as possible, while implementing alternative measures to ensure continued product supply to our customers,” said Atsushi Katsuki, Asahi president and group chief executive, who also apologised for the disruption.

Retailers Alert Consumers

Several major Japanese retailers have publicised the expected supply disruption:

• FamilyMart warned that its Famimaru bottled teas — produced by Asahi — were likely to be in short supply or out of stock and apologised to customers while working with Asahi to resume sales.

• 7-Eleven has halted shipments of Asahi products in Japan, including its popular Super Dry beer, and advised stores to expect shortages.

• Lawson indicated it expected some Asahi products to be in short supply from Friday and plans to stock alternative products to reduce customer impact.

• Supermarket chain Life Cooperation also warned that Asahi products could soon be unavailable on shelves.

Key Impacts at a Glance

• Ordering and shipment systems in Japan suspended following containment measures.

• Most domestic Asahi factories at a standstill since Monday.

• Partial manual order processing and shipment operations underway.

• External email communications to the company remain affected.

• Call centre reopening planned for next week.

• Major retailers (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, Life Cooperation) report expected shortages and are taking mitigation steps.

Containment Measures and Immediate Responses

Asahi has prioritised ensuring product supply while it works to restore digital systems. The company said that, although system-based processes remain suspended, it has begun limited manual processing to keep deliveries moving where possible. Retail partners are coordinating with Asahi to manage inventory and advise customers, with some chains sourcing alternatives to blunt the disruption.

Industry Response and Outlook

The interruption is confined to Asahi’s operations in Japan — which the company notes account for about half its sales — and has therefore chiefly affected domestic product availability. Retailers across convenience and supermarket channels have publicly notified shoppers and adjusted inventory plans to cope with potential shortages of beer and bottled tea.

Next Move Strategy Consulting Analysis

The incident underscores the vulnerability of supply chains that depend on integrated ordering and shipment systems. Because Asahi’s Japanese operations represent roughly half of the company’s sales, prolonged suspension of system-based logistics — even if mitigated by partial manual processing — can materially constrain product availability in Japan. Retailer statements about halted shipments and plans to stock alternatives indicate immediate substitution activity at the store level; consumers should expect temporary gaps for certain Asahi beers and bottled teas until digital systems are fully restored and factory operations resume normal output.

Source: BBC 

Prepared by: Next Move Strategy Consulting