More Japan and China friction over energy rights
The conflict between Japan and China over fossil fuels continues, since Japan has few natural resources and China’s mushrooming economy is consuming more:
Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry, announced the results of a study Friday that he said shows a link between China’s undersea exploration and Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
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The study found that the subterranean structure of the oil fields being explored by China was connected to an area that Japan claims as part of its EEZ.
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While the study concludes that the structure is connected to parts of the seabed in Japan’s EEZ, it also found a complex number of faults around the area in which China has been exploring.
Experts said it was too early to determine if China’s continuing exploration would result in valuable natural resources rightfully belonging to Japan being sucked out from under its EEZ.
The oil fields in question are in the East China Sea.