A system failure caused by unauthorized access at major Japanese frozen food maker Nichirei Corp has begun disrupting supply chains, leading to stock shortages at some restaurants and retailers.
The company announced the failure on Monday after it began affecting frozen food shipments and operations at refrigerated warehouses. It plans to gradually restart operations from Friday but has not disclosed when full functionality will return.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd said on Tuesday that it may temporarily close some stores and that menu items could become unavailable. The situation would remain fluid from Wednesday onward, the chain added, and it is also considering shorter business hours.
Kura Sushi Inc reported disrupted deliveries of some ingredients on Wednesday. Stock shortages have also appeared at Aeon supermarkets, Don Quijote stores, Ezaki Glico ice cream shipments in western Japan, and Imuraya Group products. Nichirei noted the possibility of a personal data breach.