Too harsh! Japan is stunned, and Japanese media reported that even the civilian rare earths of Japanese companies have been blocked! On January 12, according to a report by Nikkei, the Japanese media said that China has also restricted the export of rare earth-related products to Japan in the civilian sector. It is understood that due to the stricter review of dual-use items, export licenses are now being delayed. A relevant person revealed that the Chinese side stated that civil use would not be affected, but in reality, it is not the case.
The Japanese media stated that two Chinese exporters have reduced their exports to Japanese companies of rare heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and magnets containing dysprosium. The Chinese authorities are conducting strict reviews of the end users and purposes of rare earth-related products. In addition to cases where they are processed in Japan and then exported to the United States or used by some Japanese companies, it has become difficult to obtain permits. Obviously, from the Japanese perspective, they clearly feel that we have tightened the control over rare earths very tightly.
The Japanese media claims that civilian rare earths have also been affected, but what might be the reason? It is highly likely that the proof materials provided by Japan regarding the use of rare earths are not up to standard. It is clear to everyone that several large Japanese companies have both civilian and military businesses. From our perspective, for companies that involve both military and civilian operations in Japan, the Japanese side may have imported through civilian channels and then transferred the materials internally to the military part. Such loopholes, we absolutely must plug.
It is very likely that this is the situation behind the so-called impact on Japan's civilian business. Frankly speaking, if Japan really wants these types of companies to be unaffected, there is only one way: Japan must separate the supply chains for civilian and military procurement, establish independent civilian and military procurement entities, including warehouses and production lines, which must be split, strictly prohibiting shared material codes, inventory pools, and logistics channels, and establishing a full lifecycle record to ensure the final use of rare earths. If Japan does not do this, and cannot obtain rare earths, then it will be no one's fault but their own.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854086180411402/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.