Mining in Japan is minimal because Japan does
not possess many on-shore mineral resources.
The Japanese mining industry began to rapidly
decline in the 1980s.
Coal production shrank from a peak of 55 million
tons in 1960 to slightly more than 16 million
tons in 1985, while coal imports grew to nearly
91 million tons in 1987.
Domestic coal mining companies faced cheap
coal imports and high production costs, which
caused them chronic deficits in the 1980s.
In the late 1980s, Japan's approximately 1
million tons of coal reserves were mostly
hard coal used for coking.
Most of the coal Japan consumed is used to
produce electric power.According to the Canadian
Trade Commission for Japan: "In 2012, the
Government of Japan increased the credit line
for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation
(JBIC) by 10 trillion yen (approximately C$105
billion) to further enable the Japanese private
sector to secure strategic natural resources,
and expanded JBIC’s mandate to provide financial
assistance for certain types of natural resource
development projects in developed countries.
Although this initiative has ended in June
2016, JBIC will continue this initiative to
support the Japanese FDI opportunities in
natural resources sector."In April 2018, it
was reported that mud from the seabed off
Minamitorishima Island, some 1,150 miles southeast
of Tokyo had been found to contain more than
16 million tons of rare-earth oxides.
This was reported to be the equivalent to
780 years' worth of yttrium supply, 620 years
of europium, 420 years of terbium and 730
years of dysprosium, at current rates of global
usage.
== Japanese fuels production (1916–1945)
==
=== Coal deposits ===
In 1925, Japan's Mining Office referred to
coal reserves in the empire of 8,000 million
tonnes, or 2,933 million tonnes (Kyūshū,
Miiki and Mitsui deposits), 2,675 or 3,471
million tonnes (Hokkaidō, ones 1,113,600
million from Yubari mine), 1,362 million tonnes
(Karafuto, in Kawakami deposits), 614 million
tonnes (Honshū), 385 million tonnes (Formosa,
in the Kirun area), 81 million tonnes (Korea).
Extraction in Japan during 1912 was 20,000,000
tonnes, in 1932 in 30,000,000 tonnes and grew
in 1941 to 55,500,000 tonnes and was divided
between the following sources, in tonnes:
Korea (5,000,000), Formosa (2,500,000) and
Karafuto (2,500,000) and additional imports
4,000,000 tonnes from China and Indochina.Japanese
coal is found in the extreme ends of the country,
in Hokkaidō and Kyūshū, which have, respectively,
45 and 40 percent of the country's coal deposits.
Kyūshū's coal is generally of poor quality
and hard to extract, but the proximity of
the Kyūshū mines to ports facilitates transportation.
In Hokkaido, the seams are wider, can be worked
mechanically, and offer a higher-quality coal.
Unfortunately, these mines are located well
inland, making transportation difficult.
In most Japanese coal mines, inclined galleries,
which extended in some places to 9.71 kilometers
underground, were used instead of pits.
This arrangement is costly, despite the installation
of moving platforms.
The result is that a miner's daily output
is far less than in Western Europe and the
United States, thus domestic coal costs far
more than imported coal.As the coal mining
industry declined, so did the general importance
of domestic mining to the whole economy.
Only 0.2% of the labour force was engaged
in mining operations in 1988 and the value
added from mining was about 0.3% of the total
for all mining and manufacturing.
Domestic mining production supplies an important
quantity of some nonmetals: silica sand, pyrophyllite
clay, dolomite, and limestone.
Domestic mines are contributing declining
shares of the country's requirements for some
metals: zinc, copper, and gold.
Almost all of the ores used in the nation's
sophisticated processing industries are imported.
=== Oil sources ===
In 1925, the local petroleum reserves were
estimated at 2,956,000 barrels in the Niigata,
Akita and Nutsu deposits and, additionally,
at Sakhalin concessions.
In 1941, Japanese petroleum production was
2,659,000 barrels — about the daily production
in the U.S., and 0.1% of world petroleum production.
In Manchukuo, oil wells gave Japan 1,000,000
of additional petroleum tonnes per year.
The local oils fields of Akita, Niigata and
Nutsu produced 2,659,000 barrels.
Additionally, they obtained oil in Formosa
(1,000,000), Soviet Sakhalin (1,000,000) and
the Manchu oil distillery process.Oil wells
have been drilled off the west coast of Honshū
and Japan has oil concessions in North Sakhalin.
Iron is scarce outside of Hokkaidō and northwest
Honshū, and iron pyrite has been discovered
in Honshū, Shikoku and Karafuto.
A modest quantity of copper and gold is mined
around Honshū, Hokkaidō and Karafuto.As
of 2016, remaining active oil fields are:
Gojonome field in Gojōme, Akita.
Several oil and gas fields in Niigata prefecture,
including Nanatani in Kamo, Niigata and Uonuma
field in Uonuma, Niigata.
Motojuku field in Shōwa, Gunma.
=== Natural gas ===
Significant natural gas reserves remain in:
Mobara gas field in Chiba Prefecture.
Sado island gas field (suspected offshore
oil field have failed to materialize)
Southern Okinawa gas field
== 
Metal Production locations ==
Production of copper in 1917 was 108,000 tonnes,
in 1921 54,000 tonnes, in 1926 63,400 tonnes
but this production was augmented to 70,000
tonnes in 1931–1937.
Gold production in Korea was 6.2 ton in 1930
rising to 26.1 ton/year at peak.
In rivers and mines, other deposits were in
Saganoseki (Ōita) Honshū, Kyushu, and North
Formosa.
Also, Japan imported gold from overseas.
Other important iron sources were Muroran
(Hokkaidō) and Kenji (Korea).
Total reserves were 90 M tonnes of their own,
10 M or 50 M in Korea (Kenjiho) and Formosa.
Japan imported iron from Tayeh (China), 500,000
tonnes in 1940, from Malacca, Johore and other
points, 1,874,000 tonnes, from Philippines
1,236,000 tonnes, India sent 1,000,000 tonnes
and 3,000,000 processed iron in bars and Australia
sent a similar quantity.
The principal silver mines were in Kosaki,
Kawaga and Hitachi, and others in Karafuto
with Iron Pyrite.
The production of gold was curbed in 1943
by Order for Gold Mine Consolidation to concentrate
on the minerals more critical for the munitions
production.
== Metal sources ==
Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Iron, Lead, Manganese,
Silver, Tin, Tungsten and Zinc are common
and were extensively mined in Japan.
Barium, Berillium, Bismuth, Cadmium, Chromium,
Indium, Lithium, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel,
Titanium, Uranium and Vanadium are uncommon
but still were mined in Japan.
== Non-metal elemental sources ==
Antimony, Arsenic, Boron, Germanium, Graphite
and Sulphur were all mined in Japan.
== Complex mineral sources ==
Japan has a history of mining deposits of:
Hard stone - Granite, Granodiorite, Diorite,
Feldspar, Quartz (Silica stone), Sand (including
silica sand), Petuntse (pottery stone), Dunite.
Carbonates - Dolomite, Limestone.
Clays - Kaolinite, Sericite, Bentonite, Fuller's
earth.
Soft and heat insulating stone - Pyrophyllite,
Talc, Asbestos, Diatomaceous earth, Perlite.
Rare Earth Elements - Yttrium, Europium, Terbium,
Dysprosium.Read more at http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2141445/discovery-rare-earth-minerals-japan-coast-secures-780-years#bW3vw7sHe8KYOgY3.99
Other - Emery (rock), Calcite, Gypsum, Fluorite,
Zeolite, Phosphorite.
== See also ==
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation
List of mines in Japan
