Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) plans to explore uranium reserves in former communist countries such as Mongolia and Uzbekistan in cooperation with local governments, industry paper The Denki Shimbun reported in its Tuesday morning edition.

Government-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp., or Jogmec, will work together with national energy companies in these countries as early as the next fiscal year, which starts April 2008, according to the report.

Many former communist countries have little reliable data on geological features, making it risky for Japanese energy companies - much smaller than the global energy majors - to invest in reserves exploration.

METI wants to fill the information gap with Jogmec’s work, ultimately encouraging Japanese companies to invest in overseas uranium projects, said the report.