France has deployed a patrol aircraft to Japan to help with routine monitoring of illegal ship-to-ship transfers by North Korean vessels in October, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has announced.

The surveillance operations in support of U.N. Security Council sanctions on the DPRK will take place using aircraft from Japan’s Futenma Air Base in Okinawa, according to a ministry statement released Monday.

This is the fourth time France has engaged in such activities since 2019, the ministry said.

“Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant [U.N. Security Council resolutions] in solidarity with