A private boat carrying Taiwanese protesters and nine accompanying Taiwanese patrol vessels briefly entered Japanese territorial waters near a disputed island in the East China Sea early Monday despite repeated advance warnings from Japan.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura denounced the intrusion as "regrettable" but added that both Taiwan and Japan "should act calmly" to avoid disturbing the regional peace.
A Taiwanese TV report quoted government officials in Taipei as saying the patrol boats accompanied the protest ship to ensure its safety.