Irving Resources Receives Assay Results from Its Shika Epithermal Au-Ag Prospect and Announces Its 2026 Exploration Plans for the Noto Peninsula, Honshu, Japan

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / March 18, 2026 / Irving Resources Inc. (CSE:IRV)(OTCQX:IRVRF)(FSE:1IR) ("Irving" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received assay results from its Shika epithermal gold-silver prospect located on the Noto Peninsula, Honshu, Japan (Figure 1).

The Company's 99 Noto prospecting licenses (337.37 sq km) cover four discrete target areas displaying stream sediment gold, silver, arsenic, antimony, mercury and/or copper anomalism. Once granted, these would make Irving the largest holder of prospecting licenses in the Noto area (please refer to the Company's news release dated March 12, 2021 and December 11, 2025). The Noto Project is a joint venture between Newmont Overseas Exploration Limited ("Newmont"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Newmont Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation ("Sumitomo") and Irving. The initial and current interests of the parties in the joint venture are Newmont, 60%, Sumitomo, 12.5%, and Irving, 27.5%.

The Noto Peninsula shares geologic similarities to nearby Sado Island, host to the historic gold mine, Sado Kinzan (Mitsubishi Material Corporation). The Sado mine operated continuously for 388 years starting in 1601 under the direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate and recorded production of 2.51 million oz Au and 74 million oz Ag (The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan, 1994, Nihon Kinzanshi 4. Kanto and Chubu).

Irving's stream sediments surveys ("BLEG") in the northern Noto region identified gold anomalism, including at the Shika prospect. Anomalies were followed up in October of 2025 when Irving dispatched its in-house field team to Shika to conduct ridge and spur soil and rock chip sampling and geological mapping (please refer to the Company's news release dated December 11, 2025). Assay results from 81 rock chip samples and 150 soils have been received from ALS Perth and Brisbane and are discussed herein.

Geology, Mineralization and Assay Results from the Historical Unoya Mine, Shika Prospect

The historical Unoya Gold Mine is located near the central portion of several contiguous BLEG anomalies (Fig. 2). Limited historical documentation is available, and technical details - including past production - remain unknown. During Irving's field program, its geologic team successfully located the historical Unoya Gold Mine.

Mineralized veins and associated hydrothermal alteration are broadly observed at the mine site and surrounding area. Veins are commonly hosted in andesite and pyroclastic rocks of the Early Miocene "Besshodake Andesite."

Several quartz vein float samples collected both proximal and distal to the historical Unoya Mine returned values exceeding 1 g/t Au (Figure 2). Four high-grade gold samples among 81 rock samples are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 High-grade vein float samples collected in the historical Unoya mine area. (Without further data, the Company cannot verify that these samples are representative of veins at Unoya at this time.)

Mineralized quartz vein float samples listed in Table 1 are distributed over an approximate strike length of 1.2 km and are aligned along the eastern part of the regional-scale Togigawa Fault that trends NNE-SSW (Fig. 2). Detailed observation of quartz vein float samples reveals very fine-grained quartz, locally chalcedonic, with minor pyrite and delicate crustiform banded textures (Fig. 3). Samples exhibit multiple stage formation as indicated by complex cross-cutting relationships. Limited amounts of sulfide minerals are associated with the veins. The historical Unoya Mine can therefore be interpreted as a typical low-sulfidation epithermal vein system, representing the most common style of gold deposit in Japan.

Ridge-and-spur soil samples from the area are also anomalous with a maximum Au concentration of 126 ppb reported from a soil sample collected near the historical Unoya Mine (Fig. 2). Among the 150 soil samples analyzed, several trace elements also display notably elevated concentrations, including Ag (up to 0.21 ppm), Hg (up to 0.62 ppm), Sb (up to 3.43 ppm), As (up to 257 ppm), and Se (up to 3.08 ppm).

The distribution of elevated Au and Ag in soil samples, together with associated pathfinder elements, indicates that highest values are concentrated around the historical Unoya Mine and gradually decrease outward. Like the float samples discussed above, the anomalous soil samples generally follow a NNE-SSW to NE-SW interpreted structural trend. Elevated pathfinder elements form a broader geochemical halo compared to more localized Au and Ag anomalies. The soil geochemical data confirms the presence of an overall trend along the western side of the major Togigawa Fault structure.

Next Steps, Unoya Mine Surveys

The Company is currently finalizing its contemplated 2026 field activities at the Shika prospect. Mid-year, the Company currently plans to continue its field mapping program and conduct a drone-borne, high-resolution magnetic geophysical survey with 100 m line spacing over the historical Unoya mine area. This survey will cover an area of approximately 4.0 km by 2.5 km encompassing the 1.2 km corridor of high-grade gold vein float samples well as areas of elevated Au and pathfinder element values identified by BLEG surveys and soil geochemical surveys (Fig. 2). Survey lines will be oriented perpendicular to the strike of the Togigawa Fault and general trend of regionally dominant vein orientations.

Because the historical Unoya Mine area is densely vegetated and outcrops are limited, this drone-borne magnetic survey is expected to help delineate hydrothermally altered andesite as zones displaying low magnetic intensity. Irving believes results and interpretation of data from the drone-borne magnetic survey will guide potential further exploration targeting that may delineate drill targets.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Measures were strictly applied to both rocks and soils with interchanging OreasTM derived blanks and standards inserted at every 20th sample. Soilsamples were dispatched to ALS Global Brisbane for geochemical analyses. Soils were screened to 180um with an additional crush and split. A 50g charge was used for trace Au and multi element. Rock samples were dispatched to ALS Global Perth for geochemical analysis. Au rock samples were analyzed by fire assay with 50g ICP-AES finish. Overlimit samples were assayed by fire assay with 50g gravimetric finish. Multielements were analyzed by mass spectrometry following four-acid digestion. Irving routinely inserts standard and blank samples in assay batches submitted to the laboratory. Company staff are responsible for geologic logging and sampling of soil and rock samples. Results referred to in this news release are not necessarily representative of mineralization throughout the project. ALS Global Brisbane and ALS Global Perth are both at arm's length to the Company.

Quinton Hennigh (Ph.D., P.Geo.) is the qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is a technical advisor and a director of Irving and has verified the data disclosed including sampling, through review of photographs of core prior to and after sawing and sampling, and analytical, through review of standard and blank analyses.

About Irving Resources Inc.:

Irving is a junior exploration company with a focus on gold in Japan. Irving resulted from completion of a plan of arrangement involving Irving, Gold Canyon Resources Inc. and First Mining Finance Corp. Additional information can be found on the Company's website: www.IRVresources.com.

Additional information can be found on the Company's website: www.IRVresources.com.

Akiko Levinson,
President, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Tel: (604) 682-3234
Toll free: 1 (888) 242-3234
Fax: (604) 971-0209
[email protected]

Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation including, without limitation, statements as to planned exploration activities. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the mineral resource exploration industry, the funding of planned drilling and other exploration activities, as well as the performance of services by third parties.

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE

Figure 1
Location of Shika prospect (this work), Irving's prospecting interest area in Noto peninsula, the Sado-Noto region, located along the Sea of Japan coast of central Honshu, superimposed to geological map by Geological Surveys of Japan

Figure 2
Location of Irving's 2025 October surveys and assay results and scheduled drone-borne magnetic surveys up to mid-2026, historical Unoya Mine area, Shika prospect, Noto

Figure 3
Picture of cut samples of NT-0486 and 0485 collected Irving's 2025 October surveys in the historical Unoya Mine area, Shika prospect, Noto

a: Sample NT-0486 (Au 38.5gpt, Ag 45.6gpt): 50-60 cm in length by 40-30 cm in width, angular quartz vein breccia float with crustiform banding at places, gray sulfide rich clasts accompanied (<1cm across). open spaced cavities at places< p>

b: Sample NT-0485 (Au 9.33gpt, Ag 12.6gpt): massive to brecciated quartz vein float with crustiform banding, Open spaced cavities at places

SOURCE: Irving Resources Inc.

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