TOKYO -- A Chinese mainland boat capsized following a collision with a Taiwan fishing boat early Thursday in open seas about 1,000 kilometers east of Nerumo in Japan's northernmost Hokkaido prefecture, an official with Chinese consul- general in the prefecture said.

Xu Jinping, head of the Chinese consulate-general in Sapporo, told Xinhua that all of the 40-odd crew members of the fishing boat were later rescued by the Taiwan boat.

The Japan Coast Guard also sent an aircraft to the site after receiving a distress call at around 2 a.m.. It located the boat at around 7:15 a.m., according to local media reports.

Xu said the consulate-general is in close touch with the Japanese authorities to provide assistance for the Chinese crew members.