The government plans to start trial drilling in 2012 to extract frozen methane hydrate buried under the seabed to test if the natural gas is a viable next-generation fuel.

The trial will take place in an ocean trench called the Nankai Trough about 50 km off the coast of Honshu, according to a document distributed Tuesday at a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry panel meeting. The government will extend its 16-year methane-hydrate project by two years to find out if the fuel is commercially viable.

Methane hydrate, gas trapped in frozen water buried in sediment some 914 meters under the ocean floor, may help reduce Japan's dependency on the Middle East and Indonesia for its energy.