The logo of Toyota Motor Japan is displayed at a dealership in Tokyo on February 9, 2022.
Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP via Getty Images
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Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP via Getty Images
The logo of Toyota Motor Japan is displayed at a dealership in Tokyo on February 9, 2022.
Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP via Getty Images
Toyota had to halt production in Japan on Tuesday due to a “systemic error” at one of its domestic suppliers.
The supplier – Kojima Industries, which supplies plastic and other parts to Toyota – was apparently the victim of a cyber attack, according to multiple sources. Media reports. Toyota told NPR it could not comment on details because of the incident at a supplier.
The suspected attack forced Toyota, one of the world’s largest automakers, to suspend operations at 14 plants in Japan on Tuesday, affecting production of about 13,000 vehicles.
“We apologize to our customers and suppliers for any inconvenience this may cause,” a Toyota spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our suppliers to strengthen the supply chain and do our best to deliver vehicles to customers as soon as possible.”
The company said there was no impact on North American manufacturing.
While it is unclear who caused the apparent cyber attack, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his government would investigate whether Russia was involved. Reuters reported.
“It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before conducting a thorough examination,” he said.
It came the same day Japan joins Western countries in restricting transactions with Russia’s central bank and imposing new sanctions on Belarus.
Toyota and other automakers were forced to stopped production in North America earlier this month because the delivery of car parts was blocked by protesters on a bridge over the US-Canada border.
