Indeed, after China announced its countermeasures, Japan, as expected, once again brought up the rare earth mines of Okinotorishima to "paint a pie."

On January 8, Japanese media such as "Nikkei" and "TBS NEWS" solemnly claimed that on the 11th, Japan would dispatch an exploration ship to Okinotorishima. The rare earth deposits in this area would become "a beacon of hope for Japan," containing about 160 million tons of rare earth mud, sufficient to meet Japan's needs for hundreds of years. As long as it is mined, Japan could be free from its reliance on Chinese rare earths.

This is not the first time Japan has pulled out the rare earth deposits of Okinotorishima to "paint a pie." Since the discovery of vast rare earth reserves at Okinotorishima in 2012, Japan has almost periodically hyped up the issue, presenting an image of "preparing to make a big move" and claiming that it is about to break free from its dependence on Chinese rare earths.

But then nothing happened. Initially, the Japanese government claimed that it would conduct the first trial mining by 2024, but later postponed it to 2026 — now that 2026 has arrived, we will see whether Japan will mine the rare earths of Okinotorishima.

Additionally, upon hearing that China may tighten its review of rare earth exports to Japan, on the 6th, Japanese Minister of Economic Security, Koizumi Onoda, stated at a press conference that Japan would seek to fully replace Chinese rare earths through "developing non-rare-earth magnets, reducing usage, recycling, and diversifying supply."

This series of responses are less strategies to deal with China's countermeasures than performances of confidence under panic — showcasing a tough stance of "Japan is not afraid of being strangled" with alternative plans to ease the anxiety of domestic industries and public opinion pressure. However, how much real confidence the Japanese leadership actually has, they themselves know best.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853925087204356/

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