Japanese Association Promotes Upstream Technical Education
Authors: JPT staff _ 
Published: February 2015

Editor's note: SPE seeks to develop strong relationships with other oil and gas societies worldwide. Many of these societies partner with SPE and other organizations on conferences, workshops, and other programs, at both the local and international levels. This series offers an overview of some of these societies. This installment in the series spotlights the Japanese Association for Petroleum Technology, known as JAPT.

The Japanese Association for Petroleum Technology (JAPT), founded in 1933, sees its mission as one of collecting the latest technical and academic information pertaining to the exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources and disseminating that information to the oil industry. JAPT also provides a forum for the exchange of technical information among its members, promoting the multidisciplinary activities of geologists, geophysicists, and engineers.

The association conducts meetings and workshops; publishes a journal, monographs, and books; recognizes industry excellence through awards; and exchanges information with related societies. Membership currently totals just under 1,700, with most members involved in the disciplines of exploration, production, and drilling. Membership is open to qualified individuals in the industry as well as to those in academia with a background in petroleum technology or science. Association member-ship is further divided into the categories of full member, emeritus member, student, honorary member, and corporate member.

JAPT's flagship publication is the Journal of JAPT, which is published six times a year. It contains technical papers and commentaries in exploration and development and production, includes information about new technologies, and provides coverage of JAPT meetings and symposiums. Other publications of the association include monographs, glossaries, and reports by JAPT's technical committees on important issues. JAPT has published several books over the past 2 decades, including the Well Data Handbook, Exploration and Development of Hydrocarbon in Japan, Steel Tubes for Pipelines and Wells, Ultra-Deep Drilling, Drilling Manual, Guidelines on Safety and Environmental Protection Regulations, and Inclined Well Drilling Technology. JAPT annually recognizes excellence through its Distinguished Paper Award and its Distinguished Contribution Award.

The association also conducts several meetings and workshops. Two large meetings take place—the annual Fall Meeting and the annual Spring Meeting. These include technical sessions and discussions on upstream topics, special presentations by both members and nonmembers, and joint seminars with other technical associations. Technical workshops cover exploration and drilling topics. Recent ones have covered sandstone formation, carbonate formation, geophysics, emerging technology, methane hydrate, and the association's drilling manual.

JAPT has three standing technical committees, representing exploration, drilling, and reservoir and production. The committees promote the advancement of technology in their discipline, and exchange research with the other committees.

JAPT and SPE have a longstanding relationship. JAPT has supported several SPE events in Japan, including three Applied Technology Workshops and the 2000 Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Modeling for Asset Management. In addition, JAPT was an endorsing organization at the 2008 International Petroleum Technology Conference—which is organized by SPE and several other major societies—as well as the 2002 SPE International Conference on Health, Safety, and the Environment, both in Kuala Lumpur.