I want to establish itself as a nation of technology and marine resources.

Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, to full-scale development of the resources of the Sea of ​​Japan. On the seabed off the coast about 30 kilometers southwest of the island of Sado, Niigata, undertake an investigation of oil and natural gas reserves from mid-April. Production tests to extract oil and natural gas from below the sea floor for a few days from the end of June. Also, "methane hydrate" the next generation of energy resources, we will investigate the amount of resources off the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture and Sado Island off the coast this summer as well.JX Nippon Oil & development and under the umbrella of JX Holdings, Sado Island off the coast of mining research has been commissioned Organization Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation to (JOGMEC). Use the "Earth" riser drilling vessel, the drilling of approximately 2700 meters of seabed depth of about 1100 m. "Earth" was also used to test the world's first successful production of methane hydrate from deep water off the coast of Aichi Prefecture in March this year.Conducted a survey in fiscal 2008, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the area revealed that there is a possibility of oil and natural gas reserves of more than 100 square kilometers. There is also a point of view can be confirmed reserves, the largest in Japan, and corresponds to the degree of medium-sized oil and natural gas fields in the Middle East.On the other hand, investigated intensively for about three years to FY 27 also methane hydrate presence has been confirmed in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is working to understand the amount of reserves. Specifically, the survey the seabed using the automatic spacecraft Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture and off off Sado. To fall off Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, in the summer of this year, around the Oki Islands off the coast of Shimane Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture, Akita, FY 26 FY 27 is expected to be around Hokkaido investigation.Called "surface type" methane hydrates in the Sea of ​​Japan, part of which is exposed on the surface of the seabed more than 500 m water depth, exists in a state of mass. Compared with type "sand" exist mixed with sand under a few hundred meters were successfully tested produced in the Pacific Ocean, from the seabed of m about 1,000 water depth, and there is a problem of the technical side to collect chunks of be. Although there will be a variety of challenges, I want you to establish itself as a nation of technology and marine resources to clear one by one.


経済産業省資源エネルギー庁が、日本海側の資源開発を本格化させる。新潟県・佐渡島の南西沖約３０キロの海底で、４月中旬から石油と天然ガスの埋蔵量調査に着手。６月下旬から数日間にわたって海底下から石油・天然ガスを取り出す産出試験を実施する。また、次世代エネルギー資源「メタンハイドレート」についても、今夏にも佐渡沖と石川県沖で資源量を調査する予定だ。
　佐渡南西沖での採掘調査は、ＪＸホールディングス傘下のＪＸ日鉱日石開発と、独立行政法人石油天然ガス・金属鉱物資源機構（ＪＯＧＭＥＣ）に委託している。地球深部探査船「ちきゅう」を使い、水深約１１００メートルの海底を約２７００メートル掘削する。「ちきゅう」は今年３月に愛知県沖の深海からメタンハイドレートの産出試験に世界で初めて成功した際にも使用した。
　経産省は、平成２０年度に調査を実施し、石油や天然ガスの埋蔵の可能性がある面積が１００平方キロを超すことが判明。埋蔵が確認できれば、国内最大規模で、中東の中規模程度の石油・天然ガス田に相当するとの見方もある。
一方、経産省は日本海側でも存在が確認されているメタンハイドレートについても２７年度までの約３年間で集中的に調査し、埋蔵量の把握に取り組む。具体的には、佐渡沖と石川県・能登半島沖で自動探査機を使い海底を調査。今年夏から秋には新潟県上越市沖で、２６年度は秋田県・山形県沖と島根県の隠岐島周辺、２７年度は北海道周辺でも調査する予定だ。
　日本海のメタンハイドレートは「表層型」といわれ、水深５００メートル以上の海底の表面に一部が露出し、塊の状態で存在する。太平洋側で産出試験に成功した、水深約１千メートルの海底から数百メートル下で砂と混じり合って存在する「砂層型」と比べ、まとまった量の回収には技術面の課題があるとされる。様々な課題はあるでしょうが、一つ一つをクリヤーして海洋資源国家としての技術と地位を確立して欲しいですね。