Press Releases
Joint Statement on Sanctions against North Korea
On October 28, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) participating states and the European Union (EU) released a joint statement on sanctions against North Korea.
- The joint statement notes that the EU and the governments of Australia and the United States have implemented sanctions targeting North Korea’s use of overseas workers, malicious cyber activities, and actors involved in unlawful cooperation between North Korea and Russia, building on detailed reporting by the MSMT.
- The joint statement also outlines the MSMT’s recent efforts and reaffirms the commitment by the MSMT participating states and EU to the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea and to taking action to counter North Korea’s attempts to violate and evade UN sanctions.
- The Government of Japan will continue to work closely with the international community, including the MSMT participating states and EU, to promote the full implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and call for the complete dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
(Reference1) Attachment
(Reference2) Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT)
In October 2024, like-minded countries, including Japan, established the MSMT in response to the termination of the mandate of the Panel of Experts for the United Nations Security Council 1718 Sanctions Committee in April 2024. The MSMT is an initiative to ensure the effectiveness of relevant UNSCRs through pointing out and reporting the cases of North Korea’s sanctions violations and evasions. The MSMT released its first report on the theme of “Unlawful Military Cooperation including Arms Transfers between North Korea and Russia” in May 2025, its second report on the theme of “The DPRK’s Cyber and Information Technology (IT) Worker Activities” in October 2025, and its third report on the theme of “North Korea’s Overseas Labour” in September 2026. As of October 28, 2026, the participating states are Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
(Reference3) Related Links
- Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) website
- The first report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) (“Unlawful Military Cooperation including Arms Transfers between North Korea and Russia”)
- The second report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) (“The DPRK’s Cyber and Information Technology (IT) Worker Activities”)
- The third report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) (“North Korea’s Overseas Labour”)