Japan will no longer worry about rare earths in the future - Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato claimed that from now on, neither the current generation nor the next will have to worry about rare earth resources.

Is this really the case? Asahi Shimbun: This is wrong, let's do a fact check.

The report cited previous Japanese news: In February, there was good news about rare earths. Rare earth mud was successfully extracted at a depth of 6,000 meters under the sea near Minami-Tori-shima, and the soil contains rare earth elements.

The report states: On the 2nd, a research team led by the Japanese government announced that they successfully extracted a slurry possibly containing rare earth elements from the seabed at a depth of about 5,700 meters in the exclusive economic zone around the southern island of Tokyo.

This trial aimed to confirm the performance of the equipment and the operational process, verifying whether it is technically feasible to extract slurry from the seabed. Researchers lowered pipes through ships, mixed seawater with the seabed slurry to soften it, and successfully achieved slurry collection. Analysis of whether the slurry contains rare earth elements needs to be conducted after the exploration ship returns to port on the 15th.

The report states that even if the technology is verified, whether it is possible to continuously collect large amounts of slurry and whether it is economically viable remain unknown. The research team plans to conduct further trials for evaluation. Based on the results of this technical verification, the research team plans to start formal mining trials from February 2027, aiming to extract a maximum of 350 tons of slurry per day.

At the same time, the economic feasibility of this test result will be assessed. If it is not economically viable, private enterprises will find it difficult to enter, making stable supply impossible. Regarding deep-sea mining, there has long been an opinion that compared to land mining, using large ships to extract slurry daily, perform pre-treatment before smelting, and transport it over long distances to the mainland, it is structurally more likely to lead to increased costs.

It is expected that the research team's report will be submitted by March 2028.

The report states that to ensure a stable supply of rare earths, it is necessary not only to extract them from the seabed but also to develop refining technology to remove impurities and extract rare earths.

In addition, the refining process requires the use of large amounts of substances such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, which may cause environmental impact issues around processing plants, and pollution prevention measures also require additional investment.

The president of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (which has strong resource development capabilities) and chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yasunaga Tatsuo, mentioned at a press conference in September last year, "The development of the refining process for rare earths has been almost unexplored except by China for decades."

This recovery operation indeed marks the first step toward self-sufficiency in rare earths, but whether it can be stably mined, whether the output is sufficient, whether it can support private operations, and whether it can be refined under environmental protection measures are all still to be verified.

The statement by Prime Minister Takahashi that "there will be no shortage" is exaggerated. It is currently insufficient to claim "no need to worry," which could lead to misunderstanding. We hope everyone views this issue rationally.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856412478050503/

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