Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that New Zealand will send ships for the first time to Japan to ensure North Korea is not breaching United Nations sanctions designed to stop it developing nuclear weapons.
He said the Government has also committed to increasing the frequency of deployments of aircraft to support sanctions monitoring until September 2026.
"This increase reflects the importance New Zealand places on collective security efforts that support peace and stability and the international rules-based system in the Indo-Pacific region."
Luxon made the announcement aboard a Japanese war ship in Tokyo after a meeting with the Japanese Defence Minister.
North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are a "serious threat" to stability in the region, Luxon said.
"These deployments will help detect and deter actions that directly contravene United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea, such as ship-to-ship transfers of illicit material at sea."
Operating out of Japan, HMNZS Aotearoa will conduct replenishment operations in the international waters of North Asia in the second half of this year, while a P-8A Poseidon aircraft deployment will take place in the first half of next year.
"These deployments are an excellent opportunity for our Defence Force personnel to utilise their skills, leadership and experience in a multinational environment."
Political editor Maiki Sherman has all the latest. (Source: 1News)
The Defence Force will also explore opportunities for bilateral exercises and activities while assets and personnel are in Japan.
North Korea is under heavy United Nations economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
The sanctions, adopted unanimously by the Security Council, aim to persuade North Korea to denuclearise and abandon its ballistic missile capabilities.
New Zealand has contributed to monitoring these sanctions since 2018 as part of a group of countries which contribute aircraft and ships to the maritime area around the Korean Peninsula.
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