Japan plans to inspect cargo to and from North Korea in two sea-lanes close to its territory, in line with UN Security Council sanctions imposed after Pyongyang's nuclear test, a report said on Saturday.
The government is considering deploying several destroyers and P-3C patrol aircraft to the Tsushima Strait near sea borders with South Korea and to waters close to the southernmost islets of Okinawa, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing unnamed government sources.
Japanese leaders have held heated debate over how to carry out cargo inspections under the UN resolution, as the country is banned from using military force under its post-World War II pacifist constitution.
Japan's navy, called the Maritime Self-Defence Force, is expected to engage in warning and surveillance activities regarding ships heading to North Korea, the report said.
If a suspicious ship is spotted, it is to notify and provide information to US forces and other foreign forces deployed in waters off the coast of North Korea, it said.
In addition to these patrolling duties, the government is studying the possibility of providing logistical support to US warships, including fuel operations, the newspaper said.
The UN resolution, unanimously adopted following North Korea's announced nuclear weapons test on October 9, bans trade with North Korea related to its development of nuclear arms, ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.
It also imposes financial controls to starve the North Korean military of funds.
The most controversial measure calls for the inspection of all cargo to and from the impoverished state, aimed at preventing its cash-strapped government from selling material for an atomic bomb or other illicit weapons to terrorists or rogue states.