Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, July 13 -- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry may grant exploratory drilling rights in the East China Sea to Teikoku Oil Co. as early as this week, a ministry official said July 13.
The prefectures of Kagoshima and Okinawa, which have jurisdiction over the waters involved, last week indicated their consent to METI.
Earlier this month, China appealed to Japan for joint oil and gas development in the disputed East China Sea after reports that Tokyo might approve drilling by a Japanese company in the area (OGJ Online, July 1, 2005).
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].
