Taiwan ship nears disputed isles: Japan coastguard

TOKYO (AFP) - A protest ship from Taiwan joined around a dozen state-owned Chinese vessels in waters near Japan-administered islands on Friday as a territorial row rumbled on.

The Taiwan-registered ship was spotted 44km off Uotsurijima, the largest island in a group known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Japan controls the islands though China and Taiwan also claim ownership.

"This ship is not a government-owned vessel. By speakers and wireless communications we are warning the ship not to enter our territorial waters," a spokesman for the coastguard's Okinawa branch said by telephone.