Japan says destroyer and Chinese boat collided, no injuries

TOKYO, March 31 (Reuters) - A Japanese destroyer and a Chinese fishing boat collided in the East China Sea on Monday night but no one was injured or missing, Japan's defence minister said.

The collision occurred about 650 km (400 miles) west of the Japanese island of Yakushima, Defence Minister Taro Kono said in a tweet on Tuesday.

It opened a 1 metre by 20 millimetre hole above the waterline of the destroyer, the Shimakaze, Kono said.

"No personnel were injured and no one from the Chinese fishing boat was missing. We are checking details," Kono tweeted. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Kim Coghill)