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Japan launches world’s first mission to lift rare earth from deep sea

PressNewsAgency
By PressNewsAgency

A Japanese mining ship departed on Monday for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in rare earths, part of Tokyo’s drive to curb its reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing tightens supply.

The month-long mission of the test vessel Chikyu near Minamitori island some 1,900km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare earth seabed sludge from 6km deep onto a ship.

Japan, like its Western allies, has been reducing its dependence on China for the minerals vital to the production of cars, smartphones and military equipment, an effort that has taken on urgency amid a major diplomatic dispute with Beijing.

“One of our missions is to build a supply chain for domestically produced rare earths to ensure a stable supply of minerals essential to industry,” Shoichi Ishii, the head of the government-backed project, told reporters last month, ahead of the vessel’s departure from the port city of Shizuoka on a bright sunny day, with a snow-capped Mount Fuji in the background.

China last week banned exports of items destined for Japan’s military that have civilian and military uses, including some critical minerals. The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing had also begun restricting rare earth exports to Japan more broadly.

A monazite ore containing rare earth elements is displayed at a museum in Beijing. Photo: Kyodo

Japan has condemned China’s dual-use ban but declined to comment on the report of a broader ban, which China has not confirmed or denied. Chinese state media, though, have said Beijing was weighing the measure.

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