Japan is a nation not known for its domestic oil and gas fields - they are small and rare - but in July the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry directed Inpex to undertake a new offshore drilling program.
The Heisei 26-28 campaign aims to determine the possible presence of hydrocarbon deposits in Japanese waters and to conduct geological studies to feed into future exploration.
An exploration well will be drilled in location about 140km off the coast of Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures where the Japanese government conducted a geophysical survey in 2013, which was followed up by a 3D seismic program.
The well will be drilled between May and August next year in 210m of water.
Inpex's new Domestic Exploratory Drilling Operations Office will be located in Hamada, Shimane prefecture, supported by the Tokyo head office.
It is designed as an independent entity within Inpex.
Most of Japan's small domestic oil and gas fields are along its north-eastern coastline, and are operated by Japex.
Inpex controls the Minami-Nagaoka gas field, one of the country's largest.
Last year it announced an upgrade of the Koshijihara plant top enhance recoveries and expend production life.
Operations will include reinstalling a compressor and separator to improve the efficiency of gas processing systems.
The upgrade is expected to increase recoverable reserves of natural gas and condensate by roughly 20%, and extend the life of the Minami-Nagaoka field by nearly 20 years beyond current estimates.
Since 1984, Inpex has consistently produced natural gas and condensate at the Minami-Nagaoka.
Production has been 123 million cubic feet of gas and 3100 barrels of condensate per day.
Japan's last offshore well was drilled in 2013.
That was its first well for a decade, and was seeking resources off the island of Sado in Niigata prefecture, but hopes of a new find did not pan out for JX Nippon Oil & Gas and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation.
The 2700m-deep well was a duster.
In the wake of the Japan's growing dependence on imported fuel and the prohibitive costs it is imposing on energy utility companies, the Japanese government has been putting more emphasis on exploration in recent years, despite decades with little success.
