A French Navy vessel will conduct surveillance activities in the East China Sea until early March as part of international efforts to block North Korea from engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of goods at sea in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
It will be the second time that France has carried out such activities in waters near Japan since 2019, the ministry said.
Japan welcomed the dispatch of the frigate Prairial, with the ministry pledging to ensure "effective implementation" of relevant Security Council resolutions in partnership with France and other members of the international community.