February 18, 2021
1 . From this month until early March, French Navy frigate FS PRAIRIAL will engage in monitoring and surveillance activities against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels prohibited by the United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) in waters surrounding Japan including the East China Sea. This is the second of such activities by French Navy Vessels since 2019.
2 . Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant UNSCRs while maintaining the solidarity of the international community for the realization of North Korea's dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.