Kuroda was joined by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the Hon. Paul Henderson, MLA, at a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new office at Level 8, Mitchell Centre.

"At INPEX, we believe our success depends upon being accepted as a valuable member of the communities in which we operate," Kuroda said. "The opening of the Darwin office symbolizes the growing investment INPEX is making in Australia to support the Ichthys Project and our other exploration and production activities in the region.

"INPEX is committed to advancing the Ichthys Project here in the Northern Territory and opening the office is an important step to support the Project moving forward."

New Darwin General Manager Sean Kildare said he was pleased to be settled in Darwin and INPEX was dedicated to becoming part of and contributing to the community.

"I would like to thank the Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson and the Northern Territory Government for making INPEX feel welcome and we want to continue building on our already strong relationship with the community.

"We have established a team here in Darwin and we look forward to growing as the Project moves forward."

Kildare said a full-time workforce of 300 people would operate and maintain the gas plant over the 40-year life of the Project. More than 2000 workers will be required in Darwin at the peak of the Project's construction over the next four to five years. The first gas shipment is scheduled for late 2014 early 2015.

"This is a new era for Darwin and this is a great project with a lot of opportunities for local businesses and the community to benefit."

INPEX Corp. is a worldwide oil and gas exploration and production company currently involved in 74 projects across 26 countries. INPEX is ranked in the Top 50 global petroleum companies and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. INPEX has been a part of the Australian business community since 1988 and is involved in a number of projects in Australia and the Timor Sea, including the Ichthys Project, the Griffin Fields Project and the Darwin LNG.

The Ichthys Project is a Joint Venture between INPEX Browse Ltd (76%, the Operator) and Total E&P Australia (24%). Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin offshore of Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and raw liquids, including condensate. The gas will then be exported to the onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 850km subsea pipeline. The Ichthys Project is expected to produce more than 8 million tonnes of LNG, approximately 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum and 100,000 barrels of condensate per day.