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Business<br>article
Cyberattack at Nichirei leads to food shortages at eateries, stores
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 16, 2026 at 14:04 JST
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Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. has been affected by the cyberattack against Nichirei’s logistics network. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A cyberattack against major frozen food company Nichirei Corp. has caused shipment delays and food shortages at big-name restaurants and supermarkets across Japan.
The attack disrupted Nichirei’s logistics systems on July 13, forcing the company to shut down the network on the same day as a precaution.
As a result, operations involving the receipt and release of products at refrigerated warehouses, along with shipments of frozen foods, have been severely affected.
The company is still assessing the full extent of the damage but plans to resume operations gradually beginning on July 17.
Around 5,000 companies use Nichirei’s logistics network, including some of the biggest names in the food industry.
Nichirei also reported the incident to Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission, saying personal information may have been compromised.
DELIVERIES HALTED
A Nichirei subsidiary operates about 140 logistics centers nationwide and has the largest refrigerated warehouse capacity in Japan.
The effects of the cyberattack on this network are beginning to reach consumers.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. said July 14 that disruptions in procuring ingredients from Nichirei could lead to shortages of certain menu items. The fast-food chain also announced possible reduced operating hours at some outlets and temporary closures at others.
Kura Sushi Inc., a major conveyor-belt sushi chain, reported shortages of some sushi toppings at dozens of restaurants in the Kansai region.
At supermarket chain York Benimaru Co., raw materials for boxed lunches and in-store baked bread have not arrived, making it impossible to offer some products.
Product shortages have also been reported at supermarkets operated by Aeon group companies.
Imuraya Co. on July 15 started suspending some shipments of its frozen desserts and ice cream products, including its popular Azuki Bar, as well as steamed meat buns and sweet bean paste buns.
Although the company is arranging alternative logistics providers, an Imuraya spokesperson said: “The peak season for ice cream sales is just beginning. We hope the (Nichirei) system is restored as soon as possible.”
TableMark Co., a food producer, expects shipments of frozen products such as Sanuki Udon to remain suspended in certain regions at least through July 17.
Nissui Corp. has also halted some frozen-food shipments.
Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. said it outsources production of its popular Karaage-kun fried chicken to Nichirei. But the disruption should have no impact because Lawson currently holds more than one month’s worth of inventory in storage, it said.
(This article was written by Shinya Matsumoto and Minori Oshita.)
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