In Asia, gas hydrates have been reported in ODP Leg 127 in the northeastern Japan Sea offshore from Hokkaido Island; ODP Leg 131 site 808 in the Nankai Trough; and in South China Sea ODP site 1146, southwest of Taiwan, Nansha Fault Basin, Dongsha Islands and Xisha trough. The offshore sedimentary basin areas of sixteen Asian economies, plus South China Sea, are ranked according to the estimated size of methane hydrates resources within their 200- nautical mile exclusive economic zones (EEZs). The assessments were made for methane hydrates within the first 100 meters of sediments below the seabed in water depths greater then 500 meters. Assumptions about plausible concentrations of methane hydrates were based on estimate by the United States Geological Survey for offshore methane hydrate resources of the United States. Since commercial deposits are usually less 10 percent of the total resources in the ground, we assumed a conservative 3 percent of the estimated resources would eventually be proven as reserves, and available for commercial production. The reserves of conventional oil, natural gas and coal account for 1.3, 1.9, and 25.8 percent of Asia's hydrocarbon potential, with the 71 percent in the form of methane hydrates (assume 3 percent is recoverable). Indonesia and India have by far the largest potential, accounting for 60 percent of the total methane hydrate potential of Asia. Countries with mid-sized potential, in descending order, are the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, South China Sea, Japan, China and Pakistan. The six economies with the lowest methane hydrate potential in descending order are North Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand and Brunei. Small changes in assumptions for countries with similar potential can alter the rankings.