Cyber Attack Makes 14 Toyota Factories In Japan Closed, Will It Bankrupt?

The Toyota factory was hit by a malware attack that forced it to close. (photo: doc. Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A cyberattack has crippled all of Toyota's factories in Japan, forcing the automaker to lose about 13,000 production cars.

The attack was directed at a major supplier of plastic and electronic components to the company. According to reports, Toyota will close all 14 of its factories in Japan starting today.

The Nikkei news website, which first reported on the shutdown, said supplier Kojima Industries Corporation suspected it had been hit by a cyber attack, leading to production shutdowns.

Factories in Japan account for about a third of Toyota's production. It is not clear whether the factory will remain closed after today.

Toyota is the best-selling car manufacturer in the world. The production target this year is 8.5 million vehicles. And the shutdown will reportedly lose about 13,000 cars.

"Due to a system failure at a supplier in Japan, we have decided to suspend the operation of 28 lines at all 14 domestic plants," Toyota said.

There was no immediate information on who was behind the cyberattack, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government would investigate whether Russia was involved in this.

"It's hard to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before conducting a thorough examination," Kishida said.

According to The Verge, Tuesday, March 1, Japan supports the United States (US) and other Western allies seeking to impose tough financial sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Japan supports blocking several Russian banks from accessing the SWIFT international payment system, and will send $100 million in aid to Ukraine.

Like other manufacturers, Toyota's production has been hit by a global shortage of semiconductors. Last month, it forecast it would miss its annual production target of 9 million vehicles as a chip shortage affected its ability to ramp up production.

The closures include factories operated by Hino Motors and Toyota-affiliated Daihatsu Motor.