'No territorial issue exists' over islands with China: Japan

Japan's Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara reiterated on Tuesday that "no territorial issue exists" over an island chain at the centre of a bitter row with China, Kyodo News agency reported.

He also said that the arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain that sparked the current row between the Asian giants was appropriate, the report said.

The skipper, who was released last week, had been arrested on September 8 after colliding with Japanese coastguard vessels in the East China Sea near a disputed island chain known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

First Published: Sep 28, 2010 13:41 IST