Japanese authorities are considering deporting 14 Chinese people arrested for landing without authorization on disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The protesters had traveled by boat from Hong Kong to the uninhabited islands controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan. They were arrested Wednesday after five of them landed on one of the islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

Japanese police and coast guard officials were questioning the protesters Thursday in Okinawa, a nearby island state.

Coast guard officials said Japan has to decide whether to pursue a criminal investigation or repatriate them by Friday night.