2007 Volume 72 Issue 5 Pages 411-424
Natural asphalt produced from oil bearing region in Northern Japan has been used as a glue to fix shaft and knife during the Jomon period (5000∼2300 years ago). The 121 oil and gas fields were discovered in Japan since 1888, and the oil and gas productions are 15,700 bopd and 304 mmcfd from 19 fields in the recent. The production rate is only 0.3% and 3.7% of the total consumptions of Japan respectively. In the “Japanese New Energy Policy”, the percentage of equity oil produced by Japanese oil companies in the world will be increased from 17% to 40% of Japanese consumption in 2030. The old Japanese petroleum technologists over than 40 years old dominate 62% of the total 2,500 technologists. The young peoples are lack due to a few employments since 1990. We must retain and recruit young people in the upstream industry, and also the older professionals will need to transfer the skill and knowledge to young people. We will challenge to discover new oil and gas reserves in the frontier area and to develop unconventional petroleum resources by technological innovation. We will attempt to introduce the upstream business at universities, science/petroleum museums and the producing oil and gas fields as a volunteer.
