The Tamesis
Japan has successfully mined rare earth minerals from the deep seabed near its easternmost islands, its prime minister revealed on Monday.
In a statement posted on X, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said the deep-sea drilling ship Earth Remove sediments containing rare earth minerals from nearby areas Minamitori Island (Nantori Island) has a depth of nearly 6,000 kilometers.
test Recover rare earths from this depth She said it was a world first at nearly 20,000 feet below sea level.
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“This is the first step in the industrialization of Japan’s domestically produced rare earths,” Takaichi said. “We will work to achieve resilient supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals to avoid over-reliance on specific countries.”
Deep-sea mining is a contentious issue for many environmentalists, who say the spread of sediment caused by such activities can have serious negative impacts on marine life.
But Takahiro highlighted the issue amid tensions with China, which has imposed restrictions on “dual-use” exports that may have potential military applications.
The move follows comments made by Gao Yi in November last year that Beijing might be involved if it took military action to seize Taiwan. greatly angered Beijing.
Sunday election
She also faces a Sunday election (February 8), polls suggested she should win.
Researchers have been planning to discover minerals on the seafloor near Minamitorishima for more than a decade.
“The successful recovery of sediments containing rare earth elements is a meaningful achievement from the perspective of economic security and comprehensive marine development,” Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tadashi Ozaki said on Monday.
But he noted that Japan needs to determine whether it is economically feasible to develop rare earths separated and refined from mud deposits.
Researchers on board Earth The first batch of rare earth sediments was recovered on Sunday (February 1) after arriving at the mining site about two weeks ago, according to Japan’s Marine-Earth Science and Technology Agency, which is conducting the investigation.
Japanese officials said the drills were likely to be monitored by Beijing because of the sighting of Chinese naval vessels near Minamitori Island.
See also:
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