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Taiwan sent coastguard vessels to disputed waters in the East China sea after Japan arrested a skipper from the island, accusing him of illegal fishing, officials on both sides said Monday.

Taiwan's Coastguard Administration told AFP it had dispatched five patrol boats to an area 110 nautical miles east of the island, as Japanese officials said they were holding the skipper for questioning.

The incident began late Sunday, when Formosa Chieftain No 2, a 49-tonne sports fishing boat, was accosted by Japanese maritime vessels over allegations of fishing illegally, according to the Taiwan administration.

The skipper, Wang Wei-hsi, declined the Japanese officials' request to board his vessel, arguing he believed he was operating in Taiwanese waters, the administration said.

The Japan Coastguard said it arrested the 44-year-old skipper on suspicion of violating the nation's fishing law by being within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

His boat was carrying one crew member besides Wang and nine fishing tourists, according to the Japanese coastguard.

Wang was being questioned on Japan's southern Ishigaki island while the others remained on the boat at sea, a Japanese official said.

The Taiwanese side said that while it had sent five vessels to the area, a flotilla of five Japanese maritime vessels was also involved.

Taiwan's foreign ministry spokesman Henry Chen called for restraint in handling the incident.

"Priority should be given to safety of the people and the boat," he told AFP.

Taipei and Tokyo have held 14 rounds of negotiations on fishing disputes since 1996 without reaching any agreement yet.

The East China Sea is the scene of several disputes between China, Japan and Taiwan, which all claim a chain of islets, known as Senkaku in Japanese and as Diaoyu in Chinese.

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