Japan has collected deep-sea sediment samples containing rare earth elements
Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Matsuo Hiroyuki, stated that a research team in Japan has collected deep-sea sediment samples containing rare earth elements on the ocean floor near the Ogasawara Islands.
Matsuo Hiroyuki posted on the X platform: "We have successfully collected deep-sea sediments containing rare earth elements."
Matsuo Hiroyuki pointed out that the sediments were collected from 6,000 meters deep under the sea. More details will be released later.
The Ogasawara Islands are located about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo, within Japan's exclusive economic zone.
It is reported that this work was carried out under a project to assess the feasibility of mining key minerals from the seabed. In recent years, Japan has increased its exploration for rare earth resources in an effort to reduce its reliance on China, which dominates the global supply of rare earths. The main obstacle to the full exploitation of deep-sea mineral deposits lies in the high costs.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855977953792010/
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