Japan has successfully removed rare earth minerals from the deep-sea bed near its easternmost island, the country’s prime minister revealed on Monday.
In a statement posted on X, PM Sanae Takaichi said the deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu removed sediment containing rare earth minerals from an area near Minamitori-shima (Minamitori Island) at a depth of nearly 6,000 kilometres.
The test retrieval of rare earths from that depth — close to 20,000 feet below sea level — was a world first, she said.
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“It is a first step toward industrialization of domestically produced rare earth in Japan,” Takaichi said. “We will make effort toward achieving resilient supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals to avoid overdependence on a particular country.”
Deep-sea mining is a controversial issue to many environmentalists, who say that sediment spread from such activity could have serious negative impacts on marine life.
But Takaichi has played up the issue, because of tense relations with China, which imposed restrictions on ‘dual-use’ exports that could have potential military uses.
The move came after Takaichi made a remark in November about possible involvement if Beijing moves to take military action to seize Taiwan, which greatly angered Beijing.
Election on Sunday
She also faces an election on Sunday (February 8), which polls suggest she should win.
Researchers have been planning to retrieve minerals on the sea floor near Minamitori-shima after they were discovered over a decade ago.
“The successful retrieval of the sediment containing rare earth elements is a meaningful achievement from the perspectives of economic security and comprehensive ocean development,” Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said on Monday.
But he noted that Japan will need to determine if it is economically viable to develop rare earths that are separated from muddy sediment and refined.
Researchers on board the Chikyu arrived at the mining site about two weeks ago and the first batch of rare earth sediment was retrieved on Sunday (Feb 1), according to Japan’s Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, which is conducting the survey.
The exercise is likely to have been monitored by Beijing as Chinese naval vessels have been spotted near Minamitori-shima, Japanese officials said.
- Jim Pollard
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