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Jonathan Saul
For Jonathan Saul's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
General Cargo Pegasus 01 vessel offloads cargo at the Port of Bosaso, in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, Somalia, on Jan. 28.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2024
Somali pirates' return adds to crisis for global shipping companies
The raids reemerge as shipping companies contend with attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia in the Red Sea and other nearby waters.
Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.
WORLD
Feb 28, 2024
Houthis say they can reassess Red Sea attacks if Israeli 'aggression' stops
Shipping risks have escalated due to repeated Houthi strikes since November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians.
Houthi fighters and tribal supporters hold up firearms during a protest against recent U.S.-led strikes on Houthi targets, near Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024
U.S. lists Houthis as terrorists as group attacks second U.S. ship
The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to expand attacks to include U.S. ships in response to strikes on their positions.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats after being hijacked in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023
Exporters explore flights to avoid deepening Red Sea bottleneck
Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19.
Recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group have forced shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023
Companies rush to avert Red Sea attacks as shipping rates rise
They are exploring alternative routes to avoid the region where the Houthi militant group is actively targeting vessels.
Injured Palestinians arrive at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023
Despite death toll, U.S. unlikely to rethink weapons supplies to Israel
U.S. officials consider private negotiation to be effective in pressuring Israel to minimize civilian casualties in its offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Friday, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel.
WORLD
Dec 2, 2023
Israel tells Arab states it wants buffer zone in postwar Gaza, sources say
Israel detailed its plans to its neighbors Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 30, 2023
Red Sea attacks on ships spark safety concerns for sailors
Commercial ships face increasing dangers after armed groups have attacked and seized vessels in waters around the Red Sea and off the coast of Yemen.
A Palestinian man walks in a tunnel linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt in 2012. The sprawling network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip has become a primary target for the Israeli military.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2023
Israel targets Hamas tunnels in new phase of Gaza war
Targeting the Islamist group's labyrinth of tunnels and command structures in northern Gaza is an operation that may take Israel months to complete.
The interiors of what the Israeli military say is a cross-border attack tunnel dug from Gaza to Israel, on the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip border near Kissufim in 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 27, 2023
The Hamas tunnel city beneath Gaza — a hidden frontline for Israel
Hamas has different kinds of tunnels running beneath the sandy 360-square-kilometer Gaza Strip — including attack, smuggling, and storage burrows.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a public rally in Mashhad, Iran, in March.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2023
Iran's quandary: How to stay out of Israel's war on Hamas
Standing on the sidelines in the face of an all-out Israeli invasion of Gaza would significantly set back an Iranian strategy for regional ascendancy.
Israeli soldiers prepare for a mission outside Be’eri, a kibbutz that was overrun by Hamas militants on Saturday, in Israel, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2023
Israeli army to confront resilient foe in anticipated Gaza invasion
Israel's generals will look to lessons learned from past ground offensives in 2008 and 2014.
A rocket is fired from Gaza toward Israel on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2023
How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault
While Israel was led to believe it was containing war-weary forces, Hamas fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight.
Cargo ships wait in the anchor zone to cross the Panama Canal from the Pacific entrance near Panama City, Panama, on Sept. 1
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 8, 2023
Top global ports may be unusable by 2050 without more climate action: report
Of the world’s 3,800 ports, a third are located in a tropical band vulnerable to the most powerful effects of climate change
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 18, 2023
Why does the Black Sea grain deal's expiration matter?
Prices for grains and oilseeds have already risen in response to Russia suspending its participation in the deal.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 24, 2023
Oil spills and near misses: More shadow fleet tankers ship sanctioned fuel
Last year there were at least eight groundings, collisions or near misses involving tankers carrying sanctioned crude or oil products — the same number as the previous three years combined.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2022
Ukraine cries foul as Russian-annexed Crimea showers Syria with wheat
The development comes as a sign of tightening economic ties between two allies shunned by the West.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Oct 22, 2022
Russia poised to largely skirt new G7 oil price cap
Moscow can access enough tankers to ship most of its oil beyond the reach of a new Group of Seven price cap, industry players and a U.S. official said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2022
War and energy crisis fires global hunt for coal, sparking investment in polluting fuel
Buyers in Europe and beyond are now vying to pay top dollar for coal, often from remote places that until now hardly even shipped the fuel.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 23, 2022
Russian oil tankers get India safety cover via Dubai company
India, which has refrained from condemning Russia given its longstanding security ties, has sharply boosted Russian crude oil purchases in recent months.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
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