France and Canada have dispatched aircraft to U.S. bases in Japan in a bid to counter illicit maritime activities supporting Pyongyang’s weapons programs, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The deployment comes amid reports that North Korean coal exports to China have ramped up, spurred by soaring demand in China as authorities there struggle to reign in consumption.

According to two foreign ministry statements, France and Canada will each 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