In 1981, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. discovered the highest-grade ore deposit in the world, with gold concentrations averaging five times higher than typically seen in commercial gold mines. The Hishikari Mine in the Southern Island of Kyushu is a +14M-ounce gold deposit having produced approximately 9.4M ounces with an average grade exceeding 30 grams per tonne to date, and is the only operating gold mine in Japan today. Since the mine began to operate in 1985, output from the Hishikari Mine has more than doubled the previous 400 hundred years of production from Japan’s two formerly largest mines and new reserves are still being discovered there today.

Fraser MacCorquodale, President & COO of Japan Gold stated, "The Company has done great work to build a high-quality exploration portfolio within a re-emerging country with demonstrated gold prospectivity”. Fraser previously led Newcrest Mining’s global exploration team to several discoveries.
_{Source: Source: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., LTD. Integrated Report, 2^nd August 2024}

_{Source: Hishikari Mine (Natural Resources) | Company Information | Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (smm.co.jp)}