Canada said on Thursday that it will deploy a military aircraft in Japan to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea.

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced the deployment of the "CP-140 Aurora" aircraft belonging to the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Canadian government said the aircraft will monitor for about six weeks the suspected maritime activities to evade sanctions, especially fuel transfers and other goods prohibited by the Security Council from ship to ship.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 due to its nuclear and missile programs.

Over the past several years, the Security Council has been divided on how to deal with Pyongyang. Russia and China, which hold veto power alongside the United States, Britain, and France, said more sanctions would not help and want to ease such measures.