Research and Markets: Oil & Gas Industry in Japan 2013 - Recently Achieved Major Breakthrough by Producing Gas from Methane Hydrates

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xsfsj8/oil_and_gas) has announced the addition of the "Oil & Gas Industry in Japan" report to their offering.

The oil and gas industry in Japan is contending with a dynamic global marketplace and an increasingly insistent group of stakeholders. Demand growth is slowing and regulatory pressures continue to impact operations, while available reserves are more difficult and expensive to produce. As the pressure to meet future energy demand mounts, global alliances are becoming more and more critical. Japanese oil consumption is expected to remain static in 2013, following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March of the year, which resulted in greatly reduced nuclear generation and a significant upturn in oil- and gas-fired power generation to compensate.

In March 2013 Japan revealed that they had succeeded in producing natural gas from offshore methane hydrates. It is a major breakthrough with potentially explosive consequences for both global energy markets and the effort to tackle climate change. Methane also known as Fire Ice, this achievement can easily be considered to be the world's first major breakthrough step towards tapping a potentially massive new alternative source of natural gas. Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) announced that the deposits of methane hydrate are estimated to be large enough to meet Japan's natural gas needs for about 100 years. The Japanese government plans to develop technology to enable commercial use by 2018.

JOGMEC, Idemitsu Oil & Gas Co., Ltd., Inpex and Tokyo Gas are few of the biggest players in industry. Japan is the largest LNG importer in the world. It has 23 import terminals. Most LNG terminals are located around the main population centers of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Many of Japan's LNG facilities are owned by local power generation companies that operate gas-fired power stations, often in partnership with gas distribution companies. Also, in April 2012, JOGMEC announced a technological breakthrough in their research on the conversion of gas into synthetic fuels. Calling their research the Japan-GTL process, the consortium promises that the breakthrough will bring down the cost of gas to liquids (GTL) conversion.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Overview of Japan's Energy Industry

3. Oil & Gas in Japan

4. Oil Industry in Japan

5. Natural Gas in Japan

6. LNG Industry in Japan

7. Potential of Methane Hydrates in Japan

8. Major Players

9. Glossary of Terms

Companies Mentioned

- Cosmo Oil

- Idemitsu Kosan

- Inpex Corp

- Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation

- Japan Petroleum Exploration Company

- JX Holdings, Inc

- LNG Japan Corporation

- Osaka Gas

- Showa Shell Sekiyu KK

- Toho Gas

- Tokyo Electric Power Co Incorporated

- Tokyo Gas

- TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xsfsj8/oil_and_gas