Cyberattack Forces Toyota Japan To Shut Down All its Domestic Plants

Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will shut all of its plants in Japan Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022, after one of its domestic suppliers suffered a computer system glitch caused by a cyberattack, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: A Toyota assembly plant in Japan

Toyota said it will temporarily halt all 28 production lines at 14 factories due to the system failure at Kojima Industries Corp., impacting the output of about 13,000 units. The automaker said it is unsure whether it can resume operations on Wednesday.

The disruption occurred after the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry warned companies in Japan last week to ramp up countermeasures against cyberattacks amid geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters the government is looking into Toyota's case. Asked whether Russia may be behind the cyberattack, Kishida said, "It is difficult to answer without confirming."

Tokyo has joined the United States and European allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

Kojima Industries, a supplier of plastic parts based in Aichi Prefecture, said its system failed after suffering a cyberattack on Saturday night. In a statement, Toyota said, "We would like to apologize to our customers and related suppliers for the trouble caused."

The 14 plants that will close include a factory in Tokyo operated by Toyota group's truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd. and a plant in Kyoto Prefecture run by mini-vehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co. Hino Motors said it will also shut another plant in Ibaraki Prefecture that does not manufacture Toyota vehicles.

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