Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Limited (JAPEX) (石油資源開発株式会社) is a hydrocarbon exploration, production, and transportation company. JAPEX explores and produces crude oil, natural gas, and liquefied natural gas reserves worldwide. JAPEX has proven reserves of 272 million barrels in Japan and the rest of the world. Aside from operations in Hokkaido, Akita, Yamagata and Niigata in Japan, JAPEX has major operations in Canada, Indonesia and Libya. Currently publicly traded under the ticker TSE: 1662. The Government of Japan owns a 34% stake in JAPEX.[2]
History
JAPEX was founded in 1955 as a government-owned company in order to seek petroleum self-sufficiency for Japan. Between 1958 and 1968, JAPEX discovered 10 oil fields within Japan. In 1965, JAPEX's operational range began to go overseas and in 1967, JAPEX was incorporated into the government-owned Japan Petroleum Development Corporation (JPDC) and in 1968 JAPEX signed an agreement with the Government of Sabah North Borneo to the exploration of oil and gas for the first 10 years of the agreement. On 1 April, In 1970, JAPEX was separated from the JPDC and reorganized as a privately owned company.[3]