Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/832998
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7 www.resourceworld.com 39 tion in three prospecting permits on the island and province of Hokkaido. They are 1) Omui: 131 km 2 of prospecting license applications, a 2.98 km 2 mining license, and 0.48 km 2 of surface rights. 2) Utanobori: 121.55 km 2 of prospecting license applications and a recent second prospecting license application of 33.41 km 2 , and 3) Rubeshibe: 188.80 km 2 of prospecting license applications. On all three permits anomalous gold and silver anomalies have been found associ- ated with banded quartz-rich veins typical of epithermal deposits. The Omui permit is located adjacent to the former producing Hokuryu and Omui mines. The Japanese gold deposits fall into the category of low sulfidation epithermal types. The best comparable deposit is the Fruta del Norte deposit in Ecuador now being developed by Lundin Gold with reserves of 4.82 million ounces of gold and 6.34 million ounces of silver. The 2017 Irving exploration program will comprise rock and soil sampling, mapping and ground-based geophysics of permitted applications and the contin- ued search for new prospective areas. In addition, Irving has exploration project venture agreements (PVA) with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) in Tanzania, Madagascar and Malawi with Mitsui Mineral Development Engineer Co. Ltd. (MINDECO as contractor and operator of the PVA programs). Irving recently staked 25 prospect- ing licenses covering 86.53 km 2 on Sado Island, a small island west of Honshu Island, Japan. Sado Island is host to Mitsubishi's Sado Kinzan gold mine which was mined continuously for 388 years and produced 2.51 million ounces of gold grading 153 g/t. Irving geologists believe its new ground is prospective for veins mineralization similar to Sado Kinzan. Fieldwork is planned for later this year. Vancouver-based Japan Gold Corp. [JG-TSXV] has, by way of its wholly- owned subsidiary Southern Arc Minerals Japan KK, 148 prospecting rights license applications accepted on Hokkaido Island for a combined area of 49,150 hectares over 10 separate projects. Nine of these have been granted as Prospecting Rights. All project areas are underlain by for- mer producers and prospective workings and were selected due to anomalous gold and silver anomalies hosted by epithermal rock types. n Typical gold-bearing quartz vein from an underground stope at Sumitomo's Hishikari gold mine in Japan. Photo courtesy Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd.