Project Leader of the Minami-Iwo-jima Rare Earth Project: Don't Have High Expectations

On March 11, "Fujin Online" reported an interview with Shii Masakazu, one of the main leaders of the Minami-Iwo-jima rare earth mining project.

The deep-sea slurry "rare earth mud" mining is a project led by the Cabinet Office's Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP) team. The research vessel "Chikyu" successfully extracted rare earth slurry from about 6,000 meters below the sea off the coast of Minami-Iwo-jima on February 1st.

Mr. Shii joined the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation in 1973 and has been engaged in marine resource development for many years. After serving as Vice President of the company, he became the Director of the Cabinet Office SIP project since 2018.

"This is the first time that rare earth mud has been continuously mined from about 6,000 meters under the seafloor globally. This project is part of the Cabinet Office's Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP), which has been underway for over 10 years. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), nine ministries, four national research institutions, and private partner companies are jointly conducting R&D work."

"The reason we spend so much time and effort to mine rare earths from the deep sea is because rare earths are an important strategic resource for modern high-tech products, and countries around the world are competing for these resources."

"The biggest application scenario is 'high-performance magnets'. Ordinary magnets lose their magnetism at high temperatures, but if you add a small amount of rare earth, even at high temperatures, the magnetism will not decrease. This high-performance magnet is used in jet engines and fighter aircraft engines, electric vehicles, robotic arms, maglev trains, rockets, and more."

"However, Japan's rare earths are largely dependent on China."

"Currently, China accounts for an overwhelming share in 'mining', 'refining' (i.e., extracting a mixture of various rare earth elements from ore) and 'purification' (i.e., the process of high-purity separation of individual elements). As of 2024, China's 'production' of rare earths accounts for about 69% of the global 'output', and 'refining' accounts for about 91%. Japan maintains a certain market share in 'intermediate products' and 'final products' (such as motor production), but without upstream 'materials', 'products' cannot be manufactured."

"The development of rare earth mud from Minami-Iwo-jima is expected to become a key card against China, but do not have overly high expectations."

"We are grateful for the public attention caused by the rare earth mud near Minami-Iwo-jima, but I want you to understand that even if this R&D progresses the fastest, it will take a long time and must be carried out step by step. Please don't have overly high expectations."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859321323660427/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."