Japanese media say police have arrested three businessmen in Tokyo on allegations of attempting to export to North Korea a device that could be used to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Kyodo News said Tuesday that the three men, including an ethnic Korean resident, were being held for allegedly attempting to export the magnetic measuring instrument to the North via Myanmar without obtaining government approval.

According to Kyodo, the Kanagawa prefectural police thwarted the shipment in January before it left the port of Yokohama for Myanmar.