Hamada Port in Shimane prefecture
Japanese firms seek domestic offshore gas
Inpex, backed by Jogmec, is set to start drilling off the coast of Japan in March
Japan’s Inpex, with financial backing from fellow Japanese firm Jogmec, plans to drill for gas in the Sea of Japan from March. The exploratory work will follow previous drilling in the region, which “raised expectations for the location of oil and natural gas resources offshore Shimane and Yamaguchi prefectures”, Inpex says. Officials from Japan’s Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry—which commissioned the original exploration drilling—have been talking up the potential resource size in the press, while Inpex suggests that, if commercially viable, any finds would “contribute to the improvement of Japan’s energy self-sufficiency rate”. The site is roughly 130km north of the coastal city
Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamlined permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy
