On July 15, Kura Sushi announced that delivery problems at some of its restaurants were caused by a system failure linked to a cyberattack on one of its business partners.
Delivery Delays and Temporary Shortages
According to the company, a システム障害 (shisutemu shōgai, system failure) occurred due to 不正アクセス (fusei akusesu, unauthorized access) affecting a supplier. As a result, some stores experienced delays or non-delivery of sushi toppings, frozen foods, and certain other ingredients.
Kura Sushi と発表した (to happyō shita, announced that) the issue led to temporary shortages of some menu items and delays in serving certain products. In other words, customers at some locations may have found specific dishes unavailable for a limited time.
In response to ITmedia NEWS inquiries, the company と明らかにした (to akiraka ni shita, revealed that) the cause was the cyberattack announced on July 13 by Nichirei, a Tokyo-based food company headquartered in Chūō Ward.
What Happened at Nichirei?
Nichirei reported that its own system failure disrupted operations at companies within the Nichirei Logistics Group. Specifically:
- Warehouse intake and shipping operations at refrigerated storage facilities were affected.
- Shipment operations for frozen foods at Nichirei Foods were disrupted.
These disruptions in ロジスティクス (rojisutikusu, logistics) directly impacted distribution. Kura Sushi is listed as a business partner on the Webサイト (webu saito, website) of Logistics Network, a subsidiary of Nichirei.
Because modern restaurant chains rely heavily on centralized logistics systems, even one cyber incident can cause widespread 配送遅延 (haisō chien, delivery delays).
“Hokkaido Salmon” Stock Secured
There was one piece of reassuring news. Kura Sushi explained that its limited-time fair item, “Hokkaido Salmon,” which went on sale from July 10, would not run out of stock. The company stated that it had successfully secured enough 在庫 (zaiko, inventory) to avoid shortages.
According to the announcement, this was made possible through cooperation with related companies and the efforts of all employees.
The company’s official statement was published in a プレスリリース (puresu rirīsu, press release), and the article was later updated to clarify that the shortages and delivery delays at some stores were caused by Nichirei’s reported cyberattack.
Cultural Context: Why This Matters in Japan
Conveyor-belt sushi chains like Kura Sushi are known in Japan for consistency, efficiency, and precise supply management. Customers expect their favorite items to be available nationwide.
That’s why even temporary shortages can become major news. Japan’s food distribution system is highly organized, and companies depend on carefully coordinated logistics networks. A disruption 〜により (ni yori, due to) a cyberattack can ripple through the entire supply chain.
It also highlights how essential cybersecurity has become—not just for tech companies, but for food suppliers and restaurants as well.
Learn Japanese from This Article
Let’s look at the key vocabulary and grammar patterns used in this news report.
Key Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| システム障害 | shisutemu shōgai | system failure, system outage |
| 不正アクセス | fusei akusesu | unauthorized access (cyberattack) |
| ロジスティクス | rojisutikusu | logistics |
| 配送遅延 | haisō chien | delivery delay |
| 在庫 | zaiko | stock, inventory |
| Webサイト | webu saito | website |
| プレスリリース | puresu rirīsu | press release |
Notice how many of these are written in katakana. These are loanwords commonly used in business and tech news.
Grammar Spotlight
1. 〜により／〜によって
Meaning: due to; because of; by means of
Structure: Noun + により / によって
Example from this article:
- 不正アクセスにより、システム障害が発生した。 Fusei akusesu ni yori, shisutemu shōgai ga hassei shita. A system failure occurred due to unauthorized access.
More examples:
台風により、電車が止まりました。 Taifū ni yori, densha ga tomarimashita. The trains stopped due to the typhoon.
事故によって、道路が閉鎖された。 Jiko ni yotte, dōro ga heisa sareta. The road was closed because of an accident.
This pattern is very common in formal writing and news reports.
2. 〜と発表した／〜と明らかにした
Meaning: announced that; revealed that
Structure: [Sentence] + と発表した [Sentence] + と明らかにした
Examples:
会社は原因が不正アクセスだと発表した。 Kaisha wa gen’in ga fusei akusesu da to happyō shita. The company announced that the cause was unauthorized access.
調査の結果を明らかにした。 Chōsa no kekka o akiraka ni shita. They revealed the results of the investigation.
These expressions are essential for understanding Japanese news style.
Useful Expression
- 一時的な欠品 (ichijiteki na keppin) — temporary out-of-stock situation
- 一時的な欠品が発生している。 Ichijiteki na keppin ga hassei shite iru. Temporary shortages are occurring.
Continue Learning
Working on your reading skills? Our Katakana Essentials: Adapting Global Words to Japanese lesson is a great next step.
Curious about the Japanese used here? Our Basic Vocabulary Building: Embracing Words Without Latin Ties lesson covers this in depth.
To understand more about tech-related writing, explore our Reading and Writing in Japanese II: Hiragana and Katakana lesson.
Cybersecurity, logistics, and food culture—all connected through a few key Japanese expressions. The more news you read, the more natural these patterns will feel.
これからもよろしくお願いします。 Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.