Japan's three biggest shipping companies said they were joining other major companies in suspending Red Sea routes because of attacks by Houthi rebels on vessels in the vital waterway.
"We have stopped sailing through Red Sea on all the ships we operate," a spokesman for Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK Line, told AFP, adding that the decision was taken to "guarantee the safety of the crews".
Two other major Japanese shipping companies - Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines - also suspended sailing through the Red Sea, spokespeople for the companies said.
US and British forces bombed dozens of targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen in response to attacks by rebels who say they are attacking Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
About 12% of the world's maritime trade usually takes place on this waterway between Asian and European markets.
Rerouting around the southern tip of Africa takes longer and is more expensive.
"Vessels we operate that were about to enter the Red Sea have been asked not to enter the Gulf of Aden" south of the Red Sea, said a spokesman for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. /BGNES
