The Sept. 7 collision between a Chinese fishing boat and the Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel Yonakuni in Japanese territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands resulted in the arrest and detention of the fishing boat captain on suspicion of obstructing the coast guard's official duty. He was released last weekend.

As the incident obviously was the willful wrongdoing of the fishing boat captain, the Japanese government should have handled this matter immediately and strictly. The Japanese government was wrong if, out of diplomatic considerations, it tried not to treat the matter as a problem between Japan and China.

Intrusion or intimidation by China in or near the Senkaku Islands has occurred frequently in the past, and seems likely to continue in the future. If the Japanese government stands firm in the belief that there is no territorial dispute between Japan and China over these islands based on its stance that the Senkakus are integral parts of Japan, there is no choice but to take strict measures in light of domestic and international laws — not only in this case but also in the March 2004 incident in which Chinese activists intruded on the islands.