I've heard the North Slope oil / Japan story before but never looked in to it.
So I ran it through Snopes (...not the final word, but worth consulting):
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/alaskaoil.asp
I also ran the question "North Slope oil to Japan?" thru Google and got a number of relevant sites.
Bottomline: It doesn't appear that Alaska North Slope (ANS) oil is being sent anywhere but the US, although there are some historical issues.
As for Japan having significant untapped oil resources in the deep oceans - I haven't a clue. (But if Japan does have such resources, I'd keep the info hidden lest the PRC get wind of it!)
Best,
Casey
So I ran it through Snopes (...not the final word, but worth consulting):
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/alaskaoil.asp
I also ran the question "North Slope oil to Japan?" thru Google and got a number of relevant sites.
Bottomline: It doesn't appear that Alaska North Slope (ANS) oil is being sent anywhere but the US, although there are some historical issues.
As for Japan having significant untapped oil resources in the deep oceans - I haven't a clue. (But if Japan does have such resources, I'd keep the info hidden lest the PRC get wind of it!)
Best,
Casey