Japan deep-sea hunt finds rare earths as it seeks to cut reliance on China 

Japan has announced the discovery of rare earth elements at record sea depths.

The government said on Monday that a deep-sea test mission in the Pacific Ocean had retrieved sediment containing rare earths from depths of 6,000 metres (about 20,000 feet). Tokyo has stepped up efforts to mine deep-sea deposits in a bid to reduce its dependence on China for the valuable minerals.

Government spokesman Kei Sato said the sample, recovered by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), was being analysed for the quantity of rare earth contained in the sediment.

She called the retrieval of the sediment “a meaningful achievement both in terms of economic security and comprehensive maritime development”.

On Sunday, Science and Technology Minister Yohei Matsumoto, whose ministry oversees JAMSTEC’s work, announced in a social media post that “rare earth mud” had been collected by research vessel Chikyu.

The deep-sea scientific drilling boat set sail last month for the remote Pacific island of Minami Torishima, where surrounding waters are believed to contain a rich trove of valuable minerals.

The area around Minami Torishima, which is in Japan’s economic waters, is estimated to contain more than 16 million tonnes of rare earths. The Nikkei business daily says it is the third-largest reserve globally.

Late last year, Japan signed an agreement with the United States to coordinate on securing the supply of rare earths, with both eyeing China’s control of much of the world’s critical minerals.

In particular, Japan fears that China, the world’s biggest supplier of rare earths, could choke exports of the mineral due to strained diplomatic relations.

As tempers have flared in recent months, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could react militarily should China attack Taiwan.

Japan, which imports roughly 70 percent of its rare earths from China, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, was spooked when Beijing responded to Takaichi’s remarks by blocking exports of “dual-use” items with potential military uses.

Rare earths, 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth’s crust, are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles.

Japan said JAMSTEC’s mission was the world’s first bid to tap deep-sea rare earths at such a depth.