Suntory Holdings has confirmed the personal details of around 100,000 people were leaked in a data breach after “unauthorised access” to an external cloud service.
The company detected the anomaly on Wednesday (28 October), prompting administrators to sever the unauthorised connection and launch an inquiry.
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A probe revealed that a “third party” downloaded files containing personal information.
By 29 October, the beverage manufacturer verified that compromised files held personal details, though payment data such as credit card details were not affected.
The exposed records include names, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
Roughly 90,000 workers across Suntory and partner companies had their data compromised along with 7,173 applicants for the 2026 new graduate programme, and 7,323 users registered for the “Maru de Shine” corporate initiative.
The breach also affected 96 people who ordered home delivery from Izutsu Maisen and the delivery personnel.
Suntory submitted a preliminary notification to Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission on 2 November and initiated direct communications with affected parties.
“At this time, we have not confirmed that the personal information in question has been misused,” the Maker’s Mark owner added.
Issuing an apology, the distiller said it takes the incident “very seriously and will work to prevent recurrence and further strengthen our security measures”.
The incident follows several other security lapses in Japan.
In October, Tokyo-listed probiotic dairy group Yakult Honsha disclosed a data breach that affected roughly 40,000 individuals following “unauthorised access” to its website.
The breach affected customers who submitted enquiries via the website, registered members of its school lunch portal “Tanoshī Kyūshoku” (Enjoyable School Lunches), and media contacts.
Meanwhile, a year ago, Asahi Group Holdings experienced a cyberattack, which potentially compromised data belonging to almost two million individuals. At the time, the Super Dry brewer said affected individuals include approximately 1.5 million consumers who contacted support centres run by Asahi Breweries, Asahi Soft Drinks, and Asahi Group Foods.
