BEIJING (AP) — Japan has detained a Chinese fishing boat and eight crew members for illegal fishing around southwestern Japan.

The incident is not likely to spark a dispute as it didn’t occur in contested waters, but it comes as tensions have been rising over an island row that has raised fears of an armed confrontation between Beijing and Tokyo.

The official Xinhua News Agency, quoting a Chinese consulate general, said the fishing boat was detained Thursday off Nagasaki prefecture, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from the disputed islands.

A Japanese fisheries official in nearby Fukuoka confirmed the incident took place Thursday but gave no other details.

Xinhua said the boat’s captain was taken for questioning and was to be transferred to a port in Fukuoka while the other crew members and the boat remained in the waters where they were detained.

The Chinese foreign and agricultural ministries did not immediately respond to faxed questions Friday.

Tensions between China and Japan have soared after Tokyo bought the uninhabited islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese, from their private Japanese owners in September. Both Beijing and Tokyo have asserted territorial claim over the islands.

A Japanese envoy traveled to Beijing this week for talks with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi and other officials. Both sides agreed to resolve disputes through dialogue.