The Netherlands deployed a warship to monitor North Korea’s illicit maritime activities this month, Japan’s defense ministry announced Monday after the vessel concluded its sanctions monitoring mission.

The Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Ruyter conducted surveillance of unspecified waters off Japan from early to mid-June, the ministry said in a press release, adding that this was the second time the Dutch navy carried out patrols near Japan since 2024.

The mission was aimed at monitoring “illegal maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers by North Korean vessels,” which are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, the readout stated.

Japan welcomed