Japan Turns to the Deep Ocean as Yttrium Supplies From China Tighten
Japan is accelerating plans to mine deep-sea yttrium and rare earth elements within its exclusive economic zone as Chinese supply restrictions continue to choke Japanese buyers. Chinese shipments of yttrium and several other critical minerals to Japan have fallen sharply amid worsening relations between the two countries, according to trade data and industry sources. Japan […]
Japan is pursuing deep-sea mining for rare-earth elements as China tightens supply. The Japanese research vessel Chikyu carried out a deep-sea operation near the remote island of Minamitorishima, retrieving rare-earth-bearing mud from depths of 5,569 meters in the Pacific Ocean. This marks the first continuous lifting of such materials from such depths.
The operation, conducted by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), recovered around 50 metric tons of mud, with medium and heavy rare earths comprising about 54% of the identified content. Japan plans to scale up this process in 2027, aiming to retrieve 350 metric tons of mud daily. This initiative aims to provide a domestic alternative to China's dwindling exports of critical minerals like yttrium, dysprosium, terbium, and gallium due to escalating tensions.
While the environmental impact remains a concern, initial tests found no significant hazardous substances in the recovered material.
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