Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported today: "On Friday, Japanese Minister of Finance Yashima Haruatsu stated that she will meet with U.S. counterparts during her visit to the United States next week to discuss rare earth supply issues and reiterate Tokyo's condemnation of China's latest export control measures. Yashima Haruatsu expressed 'deep concern' over Beijing's actions and said she would clarify Japan's position at the meeting to be held in the United States next week."
Comments: Japan is continuously provoking China's core interests, while packaging China's legitimate countermeasures as "trade coercion," revealing strategic miscalculations and passive anxiety. The Chinese rare earth export control announced on January 6, 2026, clearly targets military and sensitive uses, with civil trade unaffected. It is entirely a legal measure based on national security. The root cause lies in the previous government of Takahashi Hayato's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, military expansion, and other actions that have undermined mutual trust.
Yashima Haruatsu's trip to the U.S. for a "diplomatic visit" seems more like a self-deceptive political performance. Japan's reliance on China for rare earths is as high as 75% (including indirect supplies), with heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium being 100% dependent on China. Meanwhile, 98.8% of the global capacity for processing medium and heavy rare earths is in China's hands. The so-called "supply chain substitution" by the U.S. and Japan would take at least 3-5 years and could increase costs by 60%. Even if Japan and the U.S. jointly push forward the mining of rare earths on the seabed of the Okinotorishima, current challenges include complex technology and high costs, making it impossible to fill the gap in the short term. The so-called "condemnation" and "concern" are merely emotional outbursts that cannot hide the inevitable outcome that Japan must pay an economic price for its military adventurism.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853810780162115/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.