Japan has notified the United Nations of a suspected North Korean transshipment case, the country's 15th such UN notification since the start of last year, according to the Japanese foreign ministry. 

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a day earlier that the country has informed the Security Council Committee's Panel of Experts of the suspected North Korean transshipment the country detected.

According to the ministry, a Japanese Self-Defense Forces patrol plane found a North Korean oil tanker, the Nam San-8, involved in an alleged transshipment with an unidentified ship in the East China Sea, some 290 kilometers southeast of Shanghai on Dec. 16 and 17. 

The ministry said it has concluded the two ships were involved in an exchange after discovering hoses linking the vessels.

"Judging from the fact that these vessels lay alongside each other and connected hoses, these vessels could have been engaged in some type of activity. Following a comprehensive assessment, the Government of Japan strongly suspects that they conducted ship-to-ship transfers banned by a United Nations Security Council resolution," according to a posting by the ministry. 

The latest action marks Japan's 15th UN notification of a similar transshipment case involving North Korea since January 2018. (Yonhap)