Resource World Magazine

38 www.resourceworld.com J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7 In recent times, Japan has produced met- als sourced from ores mined in countries throughout the world but produced little metal from homeland mines, however, about 35 years ago Japan produced signifi- cant amounts of copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver. With over 20 operating smelt- ers, both small and large, Japan has been successful in sourcing ores of all principle metals from third parties and Japanese joint owned mining operations worldwide. Japan has created the facilities to pro- cess the world's metals and profit from its indigenous smelter capacity. Japan's metal mining history dates back to over 2,000 years ago where evidence of alluvial gold mining has been recorded. Japan's pro- ductive mining history started from about 1370 and continued until 1980 with spo- radic production from about 76 mines over a 600+ year period. In 1981, Sumitomo Metal Mining Company discovered the Hishikari Mine in Kyushu province and since produc- tion commencement in 1985 has produced 224.2 tonnes of gold as of the end of March 2016 from ores at an average grade of 30-40 g/t gold with an annual 200,000-225,000- ounce output. Gold reserves and resources are not reported but estimated to be substantial. Since 1601 over 20 million ounces of gold have been produced from Japanese mines. The top five are Hishikari (currently in pro- duction), Sado, Konomai, Kushikino and Taio – all from classic epithermal deposits of high-grade gold and silver hosted in vol- canic strata of Tertiary and Quaternary age (< million years old). See map. Due to the high silica content of the Hishikari gold vein ores, Sumitomo ships these ores milled or concentrated using hand or optical sorters rather than con- ventional milling processes directly to their base metal smelters in Japan where the high silica ores act as a flux for smelting base metal ores. See photo. Historically, this has been the practise of many of the operating Japanese mines. Due to the astuteness of a Vancouver- based Japanese mining executive, Akiko Levinson, whose history of mineral explo- ration know-how (via her now deceased husband), and supported by experienced geologists and importantly connected to Japanese-based organizations, was able to implement a property acquisition program securing permit applications to promising areas with gold potential. Commencing in 2015, Irving Resources Inc. [IRV-CSE], through its wholly-owned subsidiary Irving Resources Japan GK, has taken a commanding land posi- Map showing location of Japan's ve largest gold mines – Sumitomo Metal Mine's producing Hishikari, and four former producing mines –Sado, Konomai, Kushikimai and Taio, and Irving Resources three prospecting license applications on Hokkaido Island – Omui, Utanobaori and Rubeshibe. Map courtesy Irving Resources Inc. Gold Exploration in Japan IT MAY BE A SURPRISE TO SOME THAT GOLD MINING IN JAPAN HAS A PROLIFIC HISTORY. by Dr. Edward Schiller MINING

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