Toyota suspends factory output

Toyota was set to suspend operations at its factories in Japan on March 29 after a supplier of plastic parts and electronic components was hit by what is feared to be a cyberattack. 

The incident comes just after Japan joined Western allies in clamping down on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, although it has yet to be confirmed if the attack is related to that.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, pictured, says his government will investigate the incident and if Russia was involved. “It is difficult to say if this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks,” he told reporters.

Kishida announced on March 27 that Japan would join the US and other countries in blocking some Russian banks from accessing the Swift international payment system. In addition, Japan will give Ukraine US$100 million in emergency aid.

A spokesman for the parts supplier, Kojima Industries, has confirmed it appears to have been the victim of some type of cyber attack.

A spokesperson for Toyota describes it as a “supplier system failure” and the closure of its plants means production of about 13,000 units will be lost.

The company does not yet know if the halt at its 14 factories in Japan, which account for around one-third of its global production, will last more than a day. Some plants operated by its affiliates, Hino and Daihatsu, are included in the shutdown.

Toyota, which has experienced cyber attacks in the past, is a pioneer of just-in-time manufacturing with parts that arrive from suppliers going straight to the production line rather than being stockpiled.

Its production halt comes with the marque already battling supply-chain disruptions around the world caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced it and other carmakers to curb output.

Toyota production also stopped in North America during March due to parts shortages caused by the truck-driver protests in Canada.