Japan plans to study how much methane hydrate it has within its territorial waters in the Japan Sea over the next three years, the trade and industry minister said Tuesday.

The country will also continue to develop technologies to extract natural gas from undersea methane hydrate reserves with the aim of making commercialization of the process viable by as early as 2023, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday. Methane hydrate is natural gas trapped in ice.

Last month, Japan produced natural gas from its underwater methane hydrate reserves for the first time. But the technology is still too costly and production too unstable for commercial use.

The plans are part of a proposed new 5-year marine policy. The government posted Monday a draft of the policy on its website to invite public comment during a weeklong period. The Cabinet is expected to approve the draft as official policy by the end of April, Mr. Motegi said.

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