The destroyer JS Kurama collided with a South Korean container ship Carina Star on Tuesday night in the Kanmon Strait near the southern main island of Kyushu and both were engulfed in flames, a defence ministry spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
One Kurama crew member was slightly injured, the official said.
Public broadcaster NHK said none of the South Korean ship's crew members were injured. It also said the Japanese ship's bow was damaged.
TV footage showed orange flames rising up from the vessels in the dark. The collision site is about 850 kilometres southwest of Tokyo.
The Kurama was on its way to its home port of Sasebo on Kyushu after serving as the flagship for the country's triennial fleet review Sunday at the port of Yokosuka.
Last year, a collision between a destroyer and a tuna trawler off the coast of Chiba, near Tokyo, left two fishermen dead. That accident triggered an uproar in Japan, where many people harbor pacifist sentiments and remain sensitive to anything related to the military.
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