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-Defense 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 9th, bans trade with North Korea related to its development of nuclear arms, ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.