Japan’s Asahi Sees 1.9 M. Sets of Personal Data Compromised

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)–Japanese beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Thursday that 1,914,000 sets of personal information were compromised due to the recent cyberattack that prompted a suspension of shipments of beer and other products. “We deeply apologize for causing great inconvenience to our customers,” President Atsushi Katsuki told a news conference. He explained the situation in public for the first time since a system failure caused by the cyberattack occurred on Sept. 29. Of the total, 1.52 million sets are data from customers who contacted group companies. Personal data of employees were also compromised. Katsuki said that the company plans to resume placing and taking orders through its system in December, aiming to fully restore its logistics operations by February 2026. However, he stated that the full restoration will not immediately lead to resumption of shipments for all products. He also said that financial compensation to customers would be handled case by case. “I myself want to fulfill my responsibility,” he said, regarding the issue of whether he should step down. The ransomware attack forced the beverage group to suspend production and shipments at most of its domestic plants. The group is processing orders manually, while industry peers have seen a surge in demand for substitute products as a result. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]