Japan will file a request with a U.N. commission to claim rights to continental shelves in the Pacific Ocean beyond its Exclusive Economic Zone in hopes of tapping into greater undersea natural resources, a government panel on ocean policies said Friday.
The request is based on a 25-year research project of the seabed by the Japan Coast Guard that concluded in June.
The study revealed that there were areas near Japan's southernmost and easternmost islands that the government could claim rights to beyond its EEZ.