Nichirei Cyberattack: How One Hack Broke Japan’s Ice Cream and Fast-Food Supply Chain

Nichirei, Japan’s leading frozen food supplier and refrigerated warehouse operator, said on Tuesday that a cyberattack had disrupted the operations of its subsidiaries, including product deliveries. The company plans to gradually restore its services from July 17, but the disruption has already reached across several major names in Japan’s food industry, from a global snack maker to a fast-food chain and a supermarket favourite.

Ezaki Glico, maker of the widely sold Pocky snack, confirmed on Wednesday that shipments of some of its ice cream products had been delayed after the cyberattack hit Nichirei, its logistics partner. Some of Glico’s ice cream stock is stored inside Nichirei’s refrigerated warehouses, and while the company has not disclosed a financial figure, local media reported that as much as 20 per cent of its ice cream products have been affected. Glico said it is turning to alternative supply arrangements to reduce the impact, especially in western Japan, where summer demand for ice cream is at its peak.

The disruption has spread further downstream. KFC Japan warned some of its restaurants may face shortages that could lead to temporary menu changes or store closures. Conveyor belt sushi chain Kura Sushi said some outlets in western Japan are seeing delays receiving products. Local media also reported effects on major supermarket chains, pastry manufacturers, and dining halls at elderly care centres, all of which lean on the same refrigerated logistics network that Nichirei operates.

The incident adds to a growing list of cyberattacks against major Japanese companies over the past year. Beer maker Asahi suffered a ransomware attack in 2025 that disrupted its operations for months and forced it to process orders manually, an attack the Russian-linked hacker group Qilin later claimed responsibility for, according to Japanese media reports.

Retail chain Muji also had to suspend its online shopping services in Japan after its delivery partner Askul was struck by a separate cyberattack, a reminder that in Japan’s tightly interconnected logistics sector, one vendor’s breach can quickly become every partner’s problem. For now, businesses across the Nichirei network are watching the July 17 restoration timeline closely, with no confirmation yet on when full deliveries will resume.

[Source: Wikimedia Commons/by Bakkai]