Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu says the government will look into a minor collision between a Japanese patrol vessel and a Taiwanese fishing boat as necessary and deal with it in an appropriate way.

The Japan Coast Guard says the incident took place in Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea on Sunday afternoon. It says the Taiwanese boat was illegally operating in the waters.

A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a Taiwanese fishing boat were involved in a minor collision in Japan's territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The coast guard says the incident took place shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.