A
Reuters
report
on
Tuesday
stated
that
since
2001,
several
hundred
million
dollars
have
been
invested
in
developing
technology
to
tap
methane
hydrate
reserves,
estimated
to
equate
to
about
11
years
of
gas
consumption,
off
Japan’s
coast.
State-run
JOGMEC
said
the
gas
was
tapped
from
deposits
of
methane
hydrate,
a
frozen
gas
known
as
"flammable
ice",
near
Japan's
central
coast.
Japan
imports
almost
all
of
its
energy
needs
and
is
the
world's
top
importer
of
liquefied
natural
gas.
The
lure
of
domestic
gas
resources
has
intensified
following
the
Fukushima
nuclear
crisis
two
years…
