A cyberattack on Japan’s largest refrigerated logistics company has rippled through the country’s food supply chain, leaving Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants short on ingredients and major restaurant chains struggling to keep up with deliveries.
Nichirei Logistics Group, which transports frozen and refrigerated food for about 5,000 customers across Japan, said it experienced a system outage on Monday. The company confirmed Thursday that hackers breached its servers. To contain the attack and protect customer data, the company disconnected key systems, bringing parts of its logistics network to a standstill.
The company said it expects to begin gradually restoring operations on Friday, though it has not said when normal service will fully resume.
Nichirei said the attack disrupted warehouse operations and frozen food shipments. During its investigation, the company also found that some of the affected servers contained personal information. It has notified Japan’s data protection authorities while it continues its investigation.
“Should any leakage be confirmed, the company will promptly report it,” the statement said.
Nichirei has not publicly identified who was behind the attack or how the hackers gained access, saying it is withholding technical details to avoid security risks. It also remains unclear whether ransomware was involved.
The outage has had immediate consequences for businesses that rely on Nichirei’s network of 140 refrigerated distribution centers across Japan.
KFC Japan said unauthorized access to Nichirei’s systems disrupted deliveries of ingredients, including its signature Original Recipe chicken, affecting all of its more than 1,300 restaurants. The company warned that stores could face ingredient shortages, limited menus, shorter operating hours, and temporary closures depending on inventory levels.
KFC also temporarily suspended online ordering through its website and mobile app, saying it could not predict when normal deliveries would resume.
“It is difficult to deliver orders as they are placed. We are making adjustments to the delivery of some products,” the company added.
Japan’s major restaurant operators, retailers, and food manufacturers have also reported delivery delays and product shortages.
Among those affected are bento chain Hotto Motto, restaurant operator Yayoi Ken, and conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi. Retail giant Aeon told local media some of its supermarkets are experiencing product shortages, while frozen food manufacturer TableMark said it has been unable to ship products to retailers and commercial customers.
Several major Japanese companies across a range of industries have disclosed cyberattacks in recent weeks. They include one of Japan’s largest telecommunications providers, KDDI, the Japanese unit of insurer Aflac, electronics manufacturer Nidec, and brewer Sapporo Holdings. There is no indication that the incidents are linked.
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