Crisis Brewing: Japan’s Favorite Beer in Short Supply
Cans of beer sit on a shelf at a supermarket in Yokohama, near Tokyo Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (Daiki Katagiri/Kyodo News via AP)
A massive cyberattack has crippled Asahi’s Japanese operations, disrupting supplies of the country’s most popular beer and bottled tea and forcing retailers to brace for shortages.
The attack, which struck ordering and delivery systems, led Asahi Group—the nation’s largest brewer and a major player in food and soft drinks—to halt most of its domestic factory operations, according to the BBC.
Since Monday, the disruption has rippled across Japan, with top retailers including 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, and Life Cooperation warning customers of dwindling stocks of Asahi products. That includes Super Dry, Japan’s top-selling beer.
Asahi, which also owns global brands such as Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch, said the issue is limited to its Japanese operations, which account for about half of its total sales. The cyberattack also cut off the company’s ability to receive outside emails, worsening communication challenges.
Company officials say their top priority is restoring supply. Limited manual processing of orders and shipments has begun, but there is no clear timeline for when systems will be back online.
Super Dry was still on shelves at a 7-Eleven in Tokyo as of Friday, an AP reporter found, though store staff cautioned that supplies would not last long.
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