Uncertain Future: Japan Completes Test Mining of Rare Earth Mud
Japan's Kyodo News reported on February 14: The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has successfully collected rare earth-containing mud from deep-sea areas near the Ogasawara Islands (Ogasawara Village, Tokyo), more than 1900 kilometers away from the center of Tokyo. The deep-sea exploration ship "Earth" returned to Shizuoka City's Shimizu Port in the afternoon of the 14th.
Future steps will involve analyzing the samples and determining a plan for full-scale test mining scheduled for February 2027. The Japanese government will assess the economic feasibility by March 2028.
Shinichi Iwai, the project director at the Cabinet Office, said in an interview at Shimizu Port, "We have established the technology to extract rare earth mud from the deep sea floor, and we hope to accelerate preparations for full-scale testing."
70% of Japan's imported rare earths come from China. Ensuring a stable supply chain has become a challenge for Japan. However, it remains unclear how much deep-sea resources far from the mainland can reduce reliance on China.
Preparations for the project started in fiscal year 2018.
The research vessel set sail from Shimizu Port on January 12 this year. On January 30, it began collecting samples in waters about 150 kilometers from the island, and extracted mud slurry from multiple locations starting February 1.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857091741298698/
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