Asahi: Cyberattack could leave Japan without its most popular beer

Japan could soon be running out of Asahi, the East Asian nation’s most popular beer, following a devastating cyberattack Monday that has brought its factories to a halt.

TOKYO — Japan could soon run out of its most popular beer, after a devastating cyberattack on its biggest brewer that has brought its domestic factories to a halt.

Asahi Group, the Tokyo-based maker of Asahi Super Dry, said Monday that it was experiencing a “system failure” caused by the cyberattack, which disabled order and shipment operations at most of its 30 Japanese factories. Overseas sites do not appear to be affected by the cyberattack.

“We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery,” the company said in a statement, adding that there was no confirmed leakage of personal information or customer data.

Popular Japanese convenience store chains, including FamilyMart and Lawson, say they are running out of Asahi products, which also include food items and non-alcoholic beverages.

FamilyMart said Thursday that orders and shipments of Asahi products “have been temporarily suspended, and currently there is no estimated time for their resumption.”