TOKYO - Japanese media on Wednesday reported that a Hong Kong protest vessel carrying activists seeking to assert China's claim to Diaoyu Islands, entered waters near the islands in the East China Sea.

The Hong Kong fishing vessel is carrying eight Chinese activists. It departed from Hong Kong on Sunday, according to reports.

China has asked Japan to refrain from taking any action that could endanger the safety of the lives and property of Chinese citizens going to the Diaoyu Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a press statement Wednesday.