Toyota suspended all of its Japanese factories on March 1 after Kojima Industries, Toyota’s plastics and electronics supplier, fell victim to a suspected cyber attack. The shutdown set production back by 13,000 cars.
A spokesperson from Toyota described the incident as a “supplier system failure,” stating that Kojima experienced server trouble starting Feb. 26 and continuing into the evening of Feb. 28. At that point, the factory shutdown was ordered. Production resumed on Mar. 2, following the resolution of the server problems.
“We deeply apologize for causing great worries and problems for our customers,” Kojima said in a written statement.
No information has been made available regarding the origin or motivation of the attack as of Mar. 7.
The attack followed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s announcement on Feb. 27, stating that Japan would be joining western allies in sanctioning Russia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also said Japan would provide Ukraine with $100 million in emergency aid.
“It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks,” Kishida told reporters. Kishida said the Japanese government would continue to investigate the incident.
The shutdown extended to Toyota affiliates, including Hino Motors and Daihatsu.
Japanese corporations have been targeted by similar cyber attacks throughout the 2010’s and beyond, such as the 2014 Sony hack following the release of the comedy film The Interview.
Toyota also experienced some production stalls in North America throughout Feb., as a result of Canadian trucker protests against COVID-19 vaccination requirements.