The Japanese Coast Guard has intercepted a Chinese fishing boat near Japan's southern island of Okinawa and detained its captain on suspicion of unauthorized fishing in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Coast Guard said the Chinese boat was stopped some 40 kilometers off Miyaki island, about 150 kilometers from islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan. The Coast Guard said the Chinese vessel had a crew of 13.
A long-simmering dispute over control of the islands - known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China - has escalated in recent months, as China seeks to assert its claim to wide swaths of the East and the South China seas. Both sides have scrambled fighter jets and deployed patrol ships as tensions have risen.
Earlier Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Coast Guard members in Okinawa that Japan would defend the disputed islands at all costs.
"Since the country has acquired the ownership of the Senkaku islands, there has been an increase in incursions and patrols by Chinese government vessels. I highly commend the daily work and the effect that you of the Coast Guard [have] as you protect the waters around our country," he said.
Abe also warned that the security situation regarding the islands was likely to get worse before it gets better.
"It can be predicted that the situation in the southwestern ocean will continue to be difficult. I hope that you of the Coast Guard will continue in your work of protecting Japan's sovereignty," he said.
Japan's Kyodo news agency said Saturday's action marked the first time Japan has detained a Chinese fishing boat in the Okinawa region since September 2010, when Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain after he rammed his vessel into two Japanese Coast Guard cutters.
The arrest sparked a furious diplomatic exchange, before the captain was released weeks later without prosecution.
Late last month, Japanese Coast Guard vessels used water cannons to repel a ship carrying Taiwanese activists who were headed to the disputed island. Japan said the Taiwanese vessel and four escort ships were turned back about 30 kilometers from the island.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.