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Japan’s Asahi halted production at most of its 30 domestic factories after a cyber-attack, leaving restaurants and shops short of Super Dry and other drinks. Although all facilities, including six breweries, have partially reopened, computer systems remain down, so orders go by pen, paper and fax, and shipments are sharply reduced—some wholesalers get only 10–20% of normal. With about 40% of the beer market, the slowdown is rippling nationwide: 7-Eleven paused Asahi shipments, and FamilyMart and Lawson warned of shortages. Ransomware group Qilin claimed responsibility; authorities are investigating as small venues like Tokyo’s Ben Thai count their last bottles.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.