Japan says its military has witnessed a cargo transfer between China and North Korea on the high seas that it suspects violates United Nations economic sanctions on Pyongyang.
The foreign ministry said Tuesday a maritime surveillance plane and an escort ship spotted a North Korean-flagged tanker, identified as the Yu Jong 2, floating alongside a small ship last Friday about 250 kilometers off the Chinese city of Shanghai in the East China Sea.
The nationality of the other ship is unknown, but the ministry said the words "Min Ning De You 078" were written in Chinese on the ship's bow.
The ministry says it has reported the suspected transfer to the U.N. Security Council. This is the third such incident reported by Tokyo this year.
Pyongyang is subject to a series of U.N. Security Council sanctions over the regime's continued testing of its nuclear and ballistic missile weapons, including one prohibiting all member states from facilitating or engaging in ship-to-ship transfers of goods to or from North Korean-flagged vessels.
日本说，它的自卫队目击中国和朝鲜在公海上交易货物。日本怀疑，这个交易违反了联合国对朝鲜的经济制裁。
日本外务省星期二说，一架海上侦察机和一艘护卫船上星期五在上海以东大约250公里的东中国海上看到一艘悬挂朝鲜旗帜的（被确定为Yu Jong 2号的）油轮和一艘小船并排停在一起。
小船的国籍不得而知，但是日本自卫队说，小船的船舷上写着：闽宁德油078。
日本外务省说，已经向联合国安理会报告了这笔可疑的货物交易。这是日本今年第三次做这样的报告。
朝鲜一再测试核武器和弹道导弹之后，联合国对朝鲜实施了一系列制裁，包括禁止所有成员国协助或从事与悬挂朝鲜国旗的船只进行船与船之间的货物交易。