Japanese Firms Suffer Long Tail of Ransomware Damage

More than two months after ransomware disruptions began, Japanese food and beverage group Asahi Holdings continues to report back‑office disruptions and warned of a possible data breach affecting 1.9 million people, a sign of the long tail of recovery for ransomware victims in Japan.

The trend is mirrored by Askul, which said it would resume taking orders from corporate clients after more than six weeks of outage, while shipment delays persisted and Muji’s online store halted sales at a supplier, illustrating how interruptions cascade through supply chains.

Cybersecurity researchers note that Japanese firms have seen an uptick in incidents, with Sophos recording more than 200 named ransomware victims in the last four years and 72 victims in the last year, suggesting acceleration rather than a targeted geography. Experts also point to broader regional and global patterns, including unpatched vulnerabilities in Ivanti Connect Secure products used by some Japanese organisations.

Overall, industry voices emphasise that preparation, including backups and regular recovery testing, remains essential to shorten recovery times and avoid paying ransoms. December 10, 2025.