Japan Gold has commenced its initial drill program at the Barrick Alliance Hakuryu Project in Hokkaido, Japan, marking the start of its 2025 exploration campaign. The company is targeting the Hakuryu No. 3 Vein, with plans to drill up to four shallow holes from two sites, totaling 700 meters. Assay results are expected in the second and third quarters of 2025, as the company advances efforts to unlock the region’s gold potential.
The Hakuryu Project sits at the southern end of the historic Konomai epithermal gold district, an area renowned for large gold deposits. The Konomai Mine, Japan’s second-largest past-producing gold mine, yielded 2.35 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 6.4 grams per tonne between 1915 and 1973. Recent drone magnetic surveys have identified the Hakuryu No. 3 Vein within a 5-kilometer structural corridor, which remains largely untested. Outcrops of the vein reach up to 30 meters wide and 140 meters long, with float samples assaying up to 24.0 grams per tonne gold. This target has not previously been drilled, underscoring the project’s early-stage exploration status and significant upside potential.
The company’s exploration strategy is supported by a partnership with Barrick Gold, which is funding and jointly advancing priority projects across Japan. Japan Gold’s leadership highlights the country’s stable, mining-friendly jurisdiction and underexplored geology as key advantages for new discoveries. The Hakuryu No. 3 Vein is located within a 5-kilometer corridor of alteration and mineralization, and recent work has identified additional high-level alteration and geochemical targets for future follow-up.
Japan Gold expects the initial drilling phase to provide crucial data on the vein’s gold content and structure, which will inform further exploration and potential resource development in this underexplored but highly prospective region.
