Japan to develop recently discovered deep-sea rare earth with US

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday she would discuss joint development of recently discovered deep-sea rare earths with the United States when she meets U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

last month, tokyo Retrieval successful Sediments containing rare earths were discovered from a depth of 6,000 meters (about 20,000 feet) during a test mission near Minamitori Island, which holds more than 200 million tons of rare metals. Discovered in June 2024.

The sediments containing rare earths were collected by a deep-sea scientific drilling vessel called Chikyu, which set sail in January for Minamitori Island, where the waters surrounding Minatori Island are believed to contain large amounts of valuable minerals.

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“We discussed resource development issues when President Trump visited Japan in October last year, and since February, Japan and the United States have begun detailed discussions on cooperation in the development of marine mineral resources,” Takaichi told parliament.

She added: “Rare earths in the sea around Minamitorishima are one of the targets of this effort… I expect this issue will also be discussed at the upcoming Japan-U.S. summit,” scheduled for Thursday.

“We will discuss the specific details of such cooperation.”

The mission comes as Beijing steps up pressure on Japan after Gao Yi suggested in November that Tokyo might respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan. China has vowed to seize control of Taiwan by force if necessary.

Exports to Japan blocked “Dual-use” items The potential military use has heightened concerns in Japan that Beijing could block supplies of rare earths – a group of 17 metals used in everything from electric cars to hard drives and missiles.

China has long used its dominance in rare earths to gain geopolitical influence, including in its trade war with Trump. Japan, the United States and many other countries are effectively seeking to curb their dependence on China’s valuable minerals.

The United States unveiled key mining partnerships with the European Union and Japan last month after a meeting in Washington amid growing concerns about China’s dominance of the industry.

• Vishakha Saxena Additional Editor AFP

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Visakha Saxena

Vishakha Saxena is Asia Finance’s multimedia and social media editor. She has been a digital journalist since 2013 and is an experienced writer and multimedia producer. As a trader and investor, she is interested in the new economy, emerging markets, and the intersection of finance and society. You can write to her: [email protected]