A shortage of naphtha, stemming from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, is disrupting manufacturing and retail goods in Japan and South Korea.

Joichi Ito’s involvement in a publicly funded Japanese initiative had come under scrutiny after new details revealed his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Top Japanese officials are backing a tech and entrepreneurship initiative led by Joichi Ito, whose involvement with Jeffrey Epstein may endanger efforts to get the…