Some meaningful measures for Japanese petroleum industry are identified on the basis of lessons in the facts of history for development technologies in Akita Oil and Gas fields.

Primarily a smart utilization technologies of domestic oil and gas resources, even their reserves are remarkably small, must be researched and developed continuously with mobilizing our all intelligence. Particularly, the utilization of natural gas dissolved in water, reserved under the Japanese main plains, might be enable as available energy resources with application of technologies suitable for Japanese society.

Geological data of the Domestic Petroleum Fundamental Survey Programs, conducted by Japanese Government, covers widely offshore around Japanese Islands even the difference of the data density. Contribution of the data may be recognized not only for direct discoveries of oil and gas field but also elucidation for the total tectonic development processes of the Japan Arcs including offshore basins. It is important to disclose all the data acquired by the programs in the offshore basins widely to Japanese academia in Earth Sciences, and to create a great sensation of systematic research efforts involving a large number of academic researchers. Not only direct prospecting of oil and gas, but deep understandings with wide geological viewpoints for petroleum-bearing sedimentary basins itself may bring huge successes in the petroleum exploration in the future.

Upbringing of the young technologists and higher education for the students in resource faculties are still serious demands of the petroleum industry. If it is practical to maintain domestic marginal oil and gas fields persistently, under the collaboration of industry, government and academia, regardless of profitability, those can be utilized as the fields for fostering technologists, and test fields for frontier technologies, which are the “backyard” of the industry with added value.

This paper presents Akita Prefecture's “Second Phase Strategy of New energy-related industries in Akita within its industry strategies.

Akita, blessed with energy resources such as wind, geothermal, and biomass, is one of Japan's leading regions in the potential of creating renewable energy.

While promoting the expansion of renewable energy, Akita has worked together with cooperating industries to formulate a strategy that tackles and greatly increases job creation as well as industrial development, and for that purpose has had the expansion and development of various policies to approach the issue.

The development of heavy oil is an important means to improve the total recoverable reserves. Reducing development cost and maximizing recovery factor from oil fields is a common problem in the petroleum industry. The development techniques for heavy oil development depend on the geological conditions of the oil fields. In this paper, we will introduce the characteristics of heavy oil in China, overview the several oil heavy fields development examples in China, organize the trend of China's heavy oil development technology, and discussion on knowledge and effect of China's Heavy Oil Development.

The Miyako R-1 exploratory well in Miyako-jima, Okinawa Prefecture, targeted water-dissolved gas in the Miocene Yaeyama Group was successfully drilled to a depth of 2437.14 m. Results of analyses for the petroleum geology of the well are summarized as follows.

1) The lower to middle Miocene Yaeyama Group, which contains coal-bearing sections, has a thickness of ∼ 400 m and is unconformably overlaid by the upper Miocene to Pleistocene Shimajiri Group, which has a thickness of ∼ 2000 m. The Shimajiri Group is subdivided into the Ookamishima, Gusukube and Henna formations in ascending order, based mainly on lithology. Dipmeter data indicate an unconformity exists within the Okamishima Formation.

2) Source rock properties (e.g., total organic carbon content and quality of organic matter) in both groups are poor except for coal-bearing sections, and all of the rocks are immature.

3) Thick sandstone sections in the Yaeyama Group and the lower part of the Shimajiri Group have good properties (e.g., porosity and permeability) and are potential reservoirs.

4) Analyses of head space gas indicate that hydrocarbons at depths of ≥1600 m are mostly thermogenic in origin and occur with microbial methane (C₁), while those at depths of ≤1550 m are mainly microbial C₁ with minor thermogenic C₁ and C₃.

5) Gases from a production test are dominantly thermogenic C₁ and non-hydrocarbons (∼40 % N₂ and ∼ 5 % CO₂). The maturity of the thermogenic gases is estimated to be 0.8 to 0.9 % Ro equivalent based on the δ¹³C₂−δ¹³C₃ plot.

6) The chemical characteristics of formation waters from a production test are similar to those of oil and gas fields in Japan, and their origin is probably altered fossil seawater, as indicated by their hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions.

Two exploratory wells (Naha R-1 and Osato R-1) drilled in the southern part of Okinawa-jima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, for which the targets were basement gases dissolved in water, were successfully completed with good result from production tests. Geological and engineering information from the wells shows that the basement is a fractured reservoir for natural gases dissolved in water, mainly thermogenic methane based on carbon isotopic composition. This result contributes to a better understanding of the petroleum geology in the area, including the stratigraphy, the underground geologic structure, and the characteristics of reservoir rocks and fluids.

Further work including a comprehensive interpretation of well and seismic data for practical use, and an assessment of possible application of these gases dissolved in water, is necessary because of the limited exploration of basement in the potential distribution areas of the gases and insufficient ultization of data.