China and Japan's coast guards have given different accounts of a confrontation that occurred near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea.
China's Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Senkaku Islands - which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands and claims as Chinese territory, despite their being administered by Japan.
Japan's Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel.
The confrontation comes as diplomatic ties between the two nations spiral, after Japan's prime minister made controversial comments about Taiwan last month.
While responding to a question in parliament last month, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known to be a vocal critic of China and its activities in the region, suggested that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.
