U.N. mulls continental shelf bid

The U.N. commission on seabed claims said Friday that a sub-panel has begun to examine Japan's bid to extend its continental shelf in the western Pacific to a gigantic resource-rich seabed.

Last November, Japan filed an application with the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, asking it to recognize the extended area as Japan's continental shelf, which would give it priority over the exploitation of seabed resources.

The seabed in question lies near Okinotorishima, about 1,700 km south of Tokyo, and is 740,000 sq. km in size — about twice as large as Japan's total land area.

If the U.N. commission recognizes the seabed as Japan's continental shelf, Tokyo would be given priority to claim seabed resources such as gas and oil fields.