Japan Claims to Have Discovered Rare Earth Mud, Foreign Ministry Response Is Highly Insulting: They've Been Saying This All Along

Has Japan Found Rare Earths?

On Monday local time, a Japanese development institution claimed that they had discovered rare earth mud in the waters around Okinotori Island, which is undoubtedly a major breakthrough. The Japanese government also sent congratulations, saying they plan to increase the amount of mud collected by February next year, digging 350 tons of mud per day. If successful, it could potentially break China's monopoly on rare earths.

The Foreign Ministry responded that China has already noticed the relevant reports and that Japan has made similar reports in recent years.

The harm is not great, but the insult is high. The implication is that Japan has been saying for years that they have found rare earths, but these are just words. Otherwise, they would not still have no concrete results now. It is similar to the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

Even if Japan really did find rare earth-containing mud, the cost of mining would be a significant expense, several times or even tens of times higher than China's. If they want to achieve mass production, the costs would be even greater. At the same time, transportation from the ocean to the land would also require costs.

If these difficulties are overcome, Japan would still face the biggest challenge: the extraction and refining of rare earths. Everyone knows that China's monopoly is not on rare earth resources, but on refining technology. There are many countries with rare earth mines, but none can produce rare earths on the scale of China.

However, if Japan is so confident that they can break their dependence on Chinese rare earths, then when China implements measures to restrict rare earth exports in the future, Japan should not complain anymore. After all, they can dig up rare earths from the seabed, and whether they buy Chinese rare earths or not won't make much difference.

But we need to remind Japan that digging rare earths from the seabed is a high-risk activity, and the ecological damage it causes may be a burden Japan cannot bear.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856091468140684/

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