Toyota supplier reports cyberattack that halts production across Japan
Toyota has shut down production at 14 of its plants in Japan after a supplier reported a cyberattack, according to a statement provided to Reuters and the Associated Press.
Toyota did not respond to multiple requests for comment but said the outages were the result of a "supplier system failure." Kojima Industries Corp, one of the car giant's suppliers, told Reuters that it was suffering from a cyberattack.
Air-conditioning, steering wheel components, and other interior and exterior vehicle parts are provided to Toyota by Kojima. The companies did not say how long the outages would last.
Nikkei reported that the shut down will stop the production of about 13,000 vehicles, nearly 5% of the company's output per month in Japan.
Toyota is connected to many of its suppliers through a production control system they refer to as "just in time." Toyota had to shut down its own systems to prevent further damage, according to Nikkei.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said police are investigating the incident. Kishida added that it was premature for anyone to tie the cyberattack to Japan's decision to send $100 million in aid to Ukraine and sanction officials from Russia.
Japan’s response to the situation in Ukraine#StandWithUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/isJa8KJ7Ml
— PM's Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) February 28, 2022
Reuters noted that the attack was also having an effect on affiliated car makers like Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor.
A company spokesperson told The New York Times that the attack was first discovered on Saturday. The Kojima website is still down as of Monday afternoon.
Toyota is the world's largest car manufacturer.