Asahi Group, Japan’s largest brewer, has partially restarted beer production at all six of its breweries after a cyber-attack last week forced a temporary shutdown across its domestic operations.
The company said production of its flagship Asahi Super Dry beer had resumed, along with limited output at facilities producing soft drinks and food products. However, Asahi cautioned that its breweries were “not yet fully operational” and that normal operations would resume gradually in the coming days.
The cyber-attack had paralysed Asahi’s ordering and delivery systems, disrupting supplies to major retailers including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, which warned customers of shortages across Japan.
Asahi confirmed that two soft drink plants have partially reopened, though not yet at full capacity, while a further five beverage factories will “resume gradually in accordance with shipments”. All seven food production sites have also restarted, but are operating below normal levels.
The company stressed that the production systems themselves were not directly compromised by the cyber-attack, but the inability to process orders and shipments forced the temporary shutdown.
From 15 October, Asahi will resume shipments of 16 products, including Asahi Dry Zero, Asahi Zero, Clear Asahi, and Black Nikka Clear whisky. Some planned new product launches have been postponed as recovery efforts continue.
The incident highlights the growing threat of cyber-attacks on major manufacturers, particularly those with complex supply chains. Asahi joins a growing list of global firms affected by such disruptions — including Jaguar Land Rover, which is still recovering from an attack that recently halted car production.
Asahi’s Japanese business, which accounts for around half of the company’s global sales, bore the full brunt of the disruption. Its international operations — including ownership of Fuller’s in the UK and global brands such as Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch — remain unaffected.
Asahi said it expects to restore full operations gradually and is working to reinforce cybersecurity across its global network. Despite the disruption, the company said it was confident of meeting domestic demand as distribution stabilises over the coming weeks.
Analysts said the rapid partial restart reflects Asahi’s strong resilience and contingency planning, but warned that ongoing risks from cyber incidents continue to pose significant challenges for global supply chains.
