Japanese Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at a Taiwanese boat to keep a group of activists from landing on East China Sea islands at the center of a dispute that's strained ties between Japan and China.

The Taiwanese boat left the area along with four Taiwanese coast guard vessels that had accompanied it, the Japanese Coast Guard said in a faxed statement. Three Chinese Marine Surveillance vessels were also circling the islands just outside Japanese-administered waters, according to the statement.

Taiwan's trip today was aimed at safeguarding sovereignty and protecting its citizens, who departed at 1:45 a.m. from northern Taiwan, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement on its website. The group aimed to put a statue of the sea goddess Matsu on the islands, Taipei-based Central News Agency reported.