Japan and China agreed Thursday to cooperate in handling ship-to-ship goods transfers by North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said.
During talks on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly, Kono and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also confirmed that both countries will step up preparations for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned visit to China in October.
"There have been cases of ship-to-ship transfers in waters near China recently and they need to be handled appropriately by China," Kono told reporters after the meeting. Some ships were found to be Chinese-flagged vessels.