Toyota stoppage highlights supply chain vulnerabilities

Mar 02, 2022 | News On Japan

Mar 02, 2022 (Nikkei) - Toyota Motor has halted operations at all 14 of its Japanese plants due to a cyberattack on one of its suppliers.

Unlike many of its competitors, the world's largest automaker has mostly dodged the impact of the global semiconductor shortage thanks to its procurement strength, but a ransomware takeover at one of its major suppliers has forced the company to suspend operations for an extended period.

The cyberattack hit Kojima Industries, based in the city of Toyota in Aichi Prefecture. Kojima mainly produces plastic auto parts. With sales of only 174.5 billion yen ($1.5 billion) for its fiscal year ended December 2020, it is a small company compared to major suppliers such as Denso, which has sales of about 5 trillion yen. However, Toyota is Kojima's only customer of note.

Toyota cannot keep its assembly lines running without Kojima's parts for seats and other vehicle components.

Kojima has had close ties with Toyota since the 1930s and has long held an executive position in Kyohokai, an association of more than 200 Toyota suppliers. The company's management is fully aware of its importance as a supplier and has ensured that over 80% of its staff have had in-house training on information security.

It is still unclear who targeted the company and why. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.