An Italian naval ship recently carried out monitoring and surveillance operations around Japan for the first time in a bid to curb North Korea’s illicit maritime activities, according to Tokyo’s defense ministry. 

The Raimondo Montecuccoli, a multi-purpose combat vessel, participated in the efforts to identify violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions from late August to early September, focusing on ship-to-ship transfers involving North Korea-flagged vessels.

These operations were conducted as part of a broader international initiative aimed “toward the realization of North Korea’s dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable,