TOKYO - Seven activists from Hong Kong landed on the Diaoyu Islands at around 5:30 pm local time on Wednesday, according to Japan Coast Guard (JCG).  

"Japan may detain or arrest the seven activists in the name of crime of illegal entry," a spokesman from the JCG told Xinhua.

The JCG is questioning the seven activists over the landing, the spokesman said.

The Hong Kong fishing vessel is carrying eight Chinese activists seeking to assert China's claim to the Diaoyu Islands, and it departed from Hong Kong on Sunday, according to previous media reports.