THE Japanese government said today it “strongly condemns” the seizure of a Japanese-operated ship in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

“Yesterday, we received information that car carrier Galaxy Leader, operated by Nippon Yusen, was seized by Huthis when it was navigating down southward in the Red Sea off Yemen… The government strongly condemns such an act,” government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.