From early February to early March, Australia will engage in monitoring and surveillance activities by aircraft against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), using Kadena Air Base under the Agreement Regarding the Status of the United Nations Forces in Japan. It will be the eleventh time for such activities to take place since 2018, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan's release.
Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant UNSCRs while maintaining the solidarity of the international community for the realization of North Korea’s dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.
The Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are also conducting information gathering activities for vessels suspected to be in violation of the UNSCRs, and Japan will work closely with related countries.