Major companies of the mining industry Japan 2023, by total assets

As of March 2023, International Petroleum Exploration Corporation (INPEX), was the leading company in the mining industry in Japan, with its total assets amounting to over six trillion Japanese yen. INPEX is one of the largest oil and gas exploration and production companies in Japan and engages in exploration, development, and production projects in several countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. 

 Mining represents one of the smallest industries in Japan

Since Japan has very few on-shore natural resources, which have already been mined to the point that it has become less expensive to import mined resources, mining accounts for the smallest industry by GDP value. However, the island nation has a high demand for metals and minerals for the production of its manufacturing industries, therefore depending on imports.

 What is mined in Japan?

Even though Japan has scarce natural resources, precious metals such as gold and silver are mined in small quantities as they are highly profitable. In recent years, Japan was one of the global leading producers of both bismuth and iodine. The latter can be found in brines associated with gas wells. 80 percent of Japan's total iodine production comes from deposits in Chiba Prefecture.