News Discussion

Asahi Struggles After Massive Cyberattack, Beer Production Grinds to Halt

Asahi Group Holdings confirmed that ransomware caused the cyberattack disrupting its operations since late September 2025. The incident has led to widespread supply shortages at convenience stores and restaurant chains across Japan.

Asahi's system outage began on September 29, halting order processing and shipments. On October 3, the company confirmed its servers had been infected with ransomware. Traces suggested a possible data leak, though the scope and content are still under investigation.

"As a precaution, we have isolated the affected systems to protect customer and partner data," the company said. "While this has caused disruptions to our domestic operations, we are prioritizing product supply and have begun limited manual order processing and shipments."

An emergency task force, launched on the day of the attack, is working with external cybersecurity experts to restore systems. Email communication with outside parties remains suspended.

The ransomware crippled Asahi's order and distribution systems. In turn, this led to production halts at several factories. Shipments of major products, including Asahi Super Dry beer and bottled beverages, were interrupted.

Convenience store chains have reported empty shelves, while restaurant operators are scrambling to secure alternative supplies. The disruptions have rippled through Japan's retail and food service sectors as the company works to restore operations.

FamilyMart said shipments of its private-brand bottled tea and other beverages, co-developed and produced with Asahi, have also been suspended. The company warned that some stores may face shortages and empty shelves in the coming days.

Shipments of Clear Cooler, a chu-hi beverage co-developed with Seven-Eleven Japan, have also been suspended. Lawson reported that certain products could become scarce after October 3 and said it is preparing substitute items to minimize the impact.

The disruption extends beyond private-label drinks. Shipments of Asahi's flagship beers, canned chu-hi (canned cocktails), and food products have also been affected. All three major convenience store chains plan to offset shortages by sourcing alternative products where possible.

Beyond retail, the disruption has spread to Japan's restaurant sector. At Marugen Ramen, which operates about 230 outlets nationwide, shipments of draft and bottled beer from Asahi have stopped. The chain plans to turn to other suppliers once its remaining stock runs out.

Kisoji, known for its shabu-shabu and traditional Japanese cuisine, is also adapting. It has switched from draft to bottled beer and is sourcing from other brewers to keep its service running.

In a follow-up on October 6, Asahi announced it had resumed operations at all six of its domestic beer plants — located in Sapporo, Motomiya (Fukushima), Moriya (Ibaraki), Nagoya, Suita (Osaka), and Hakata (Fukuoka). Production and shipments of Asahi Super Dry have restarted on a limited basis, with orders processed manually by phone.

President and Group CEO Atsushi Katsuki apologized for the disruption in a statement released on October 3.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our customers and partners," he said. "We are doing everything possible to restore our systems quickly while maintaining product supply through alternative measures."

The company is still assessing the financial impact on its fiscal year ending December 2025. It confirmed that the cyberattack's effects are confined to domestic operations.

1. 1. disrupt　～を混乱させる、妨げる
   The storm disrupted power and communications for several hours on Saturday.
2. 2. halt　～を停止する、止める
   The company plans to halt production of one of its most popular products.
3. 3. substitute 　代用品、代わりのもの
   For people who are allergic to cow’s milk, soy milk is a healthy substitute.
4. 4. resume 　再開する
   Apartment water and gas services will resume at 3:00 today.
5. 5. restore 　復旧する、元に戻す
   I restored my laptop from a copy of the operating system I had made a month ago.

1. 1. What kind of cyberattack caused Asahi to shut down?
2. 2. How has the attack affected businesses that sell Asahi products?
3. 3. What are those businesses doing or planning to do to keep their customers happy?
4. 4. What kinds of protection do you have for your computer or phone? How do you keep your operating systems and data safe?
5. 5. Has your computer or phone ever been attacked by a virus, ransomware, or adware? Have you ever been a victim of phishing?

アサヒグループホールディングス（HD）のサイバー攻撃被害で、コンビニや外食チェーンに影響が出ている。コンビニで飲料などの一部商品が欠品や品薄になり、飲食チェーンではビールの調達を他メーカーに切り替える動きも出てきた。アサヒは10月3日、サイバー攻撃は身代金要求型コンピューターウイルス「ランサムウエア」によるものと確認したと発表。システム障害は復旧のめどが立っておらず、事態が長期化すれば業績への打撃は避けられない。

サイバー攻撃によるシステム障害は9月29日に発生し、受注・出荷作業が止まった。多くの工場で生産を停止している。「スーパードライ」など主力製品は1日から試験的に手作業で受注し、3日から在庫を納品している。

アサヒは3日、「情報漏洩（ろうえい）の可能性を示す痕跡が確認された」とも発表。情報の内容や範囲は調査中としている。勝木敦志社長は3日、「お客さまへの商品供給を最優先として代替手段による対応を進めている」とのコメントを出した。

コンビニ大手のファミリーマートは2日、アサヒと共同開発し、生産を委託している紅茶などプライベートブランド（PB）のペットボトル飲料の出荷が止まっており、「店頭における品薄や欠品が想定される」と発表した。商品の供給再開については「アサヒと連携し、状況の確認と改善に努めている」とするが、めどは立っていない。

セブン―イレブン・ジャパンもアサヒと共同開発したサワー「クリアクーラー」などの出荷が停止。ローソンも3日以降、一部商品が順次品薄になる可能性があるとして、代替商品を準備し、影響を最小限に抑えたい考えだ。

PB飲料だけでなく、アサヒの主力商品「アサヒスーパードライ」といったビールや缶酎ハイなどの酒類のほか、飲料、食品の出荷も止まっている。コンビニ大手3社は今後、欠品や品薄が生じた場合には代替商品を発注できるようにする方針。

一方、外食チェーンではビールなどを他社製品に切り替える動きも出ている。全国に約230店舗を持つ丸源ラーメン（愛知県豊橋市）はアサヒから生ビールや瓶ビールなどが入荷せず、在庫が尽き次第、他社から仕入れる予定。しゃぶしゃぶ・日本料理店などを展開する木曽路（名古屋市）も「生ビールを瓶ビールにしたり、他社製品に換えたりして対応している」と説明する。

アサヒグループHDは6日、サイバー攻撃に端を発したシステム障害の影響で停止していた国内ビール全6工場の操業を再開したと明らかにした。応急措置として電話などで受注し手作業で処理した分を2日から生産し、順次出荷している。

対象製品は主力の「スーパードライ」。6工場は北海道（札幌市）、福島（福島県本宮市）、茨城（茨城県守谷市）、名古屋（名古屋市）、吹田（大阪府吹田市）、博多（福岡市）。