Toyota Motor Corp. says it will restart all of its plants in Japan on Wednesday following a one-day suspension after a domestic supplier suffered a computer system failure caused by a cyberattack.
The decision comes as Toyota completely halted 28 production lines across its 14 factories in the country on Tuesday as a result of a system malfunction at Kojima Industries Corp. in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. The halt impacted the production of about 13,000 vehicles or 5 percent of its monthly output.
Japan's top government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, told reporters earlier in the day the system failure was caused by a cyberattack, urging other companies to prepare for a heightened risk of such assaults as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
Kojima Industries, which supplies plastic parts, said Tuesday its computer server system suffered a virus attack. A threatening message was also found, raising the possibility that it was attacked by ransomware.
The supplier, with about 1,600 employees, said it had informed the government of its findings and contacted the police. Its servers ceased functioning on Saturday night.
Satoshi Ninoyu, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said police are "confirming the details," adding any victim of a similar attack should consult with authorities.
It is believed to be the first time that Toyota has suspended all of its domestic plants due to a system failure at a supplier. In the past, the automaker has shut down its plants in Japan and overseas for such reasons as parts shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest 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 over Ukraine.
On Monday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters the government is looking into the Toyota case. Asked whether Russia could be behind the cyberattack, Kishida said, "It is difficult to answer without confirmation."
Japan has joined the United States and European countries in imposing economic sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last week.
In a statement issued Monday evening, Toyota said, "We would like to apologize to our customers and related suppliers for the trouble caused."
The 14 plants affected include a factory in Tokyo operated by group truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd. and a plant in Kyoto Prefecture run by minivehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co.
Hino Motors said it would also shut another plant in Ibaraki Prefecture that, unlike its Tokyo plant, does not manufacture Toyota vehicles.
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Toyota to shut all Japan plants March 1 as supplier hit by cyberattack
