Tokyo  - A South Korean container ship was trying to pass another vessel when it collided with a Japanese destroyer in a narrow strait in Japan, the coast guard said Wednesday as it began investigations into the accident, which injured six.

The captain of the Korean vessel, the 7,400-ton Carina Star, gave the statement to the coast guard after the collision Tuesday night in the Kanmon Strait, which separates the islands of Honshu and Kyushu, the Yonhap News agency reported.

Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said the oncoming 5,200-ton destroyer Kurama reversed course but could not avoid the crash.

Both ships caught fire, and six crew members on the destroyer were injured - three from fighting the blaze, two from smoke inhalation and one from cuts.

No injuries were reported on the Carina Star, which had been sailing from Pusan to Osaka. The Kurama had departed Sagami Bay off Kanagawa prefecture for its home base at Sasebo in Nagasaki prefecture.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama ordered an investigation into the crash to determine who was responsible.

Skies were clear and the seas calm at the time of the crash.

It was the second collision involving a Japanese destroyer since last year. The Aegis destroyer Atago hit a fishing boat in February 2008 off Chiba prefecture, killing a father and son. (dpa)