Japan tests deep-sea rare earth mining

Japan's mining research vessel Chikyu set sail on Monday for a mission lasting around a month to extract mud, which is said to contain rare earths, from the deep sea. Japan aims to become independent of rare earths from market-dominant China. Reuters reported this on Monday. If the mission is successful, it would be the first continuous deep-sea extraction of rare earths from a depth of 6 km.

The mining research vessel Chikyu departed from the port city of Shizuoka. The destination is the waters near Minamitori Island, a remote coral atoll about 1900 km southeast of the Japanese capital Tokyo. There, at a depth of approximately 6 km, mud deposits are said to exist that contain high concentrations of rare earths. However, it is unclear how much mud is present there. The Japanese government has made no public statements on this. It is also not publicly known what quantities of rare earths are to be extracted there.

The investments in this project are substantial: around 40 billion yen, equivalent to approximately 215 million euros, as well as seven years of preparation and confirmation tests have been invested in the project since 2018.

A total of 130 researchers and crew members are on board the Chikyu to extract the mineral-rich mud from the deep sea. The mission is scheduled to last until February 14.

Reducing dependence on China

The effort may be high. But for Japan, it appears to be worth it. Diplomatic and trade tensions between Japan and China have led China to use restrictions on rare earth exports as leverage to achieve political goals. About 60 percent of Japan's rare earth imports come from China. In 2010, it was still around 90 percent. Japan has since tried to become more independent of China after territorial disputes in the East China Sea and export restrictions by China.

To mitigate these restrictions, Japan is investing in foreign supply chains and collaborating with companies like the Australian firm Lynas Rare Earths. Recycling and manufacturing processes have also been promoted to reduce the consumption of rare earths in industry. However, this alone is not enough to compensate for the reduced Chinese supplies. Japan is therefore also focusing on domestic rare earth extraction. The deep-sea mission now represents the first attempt.

The risk is high that China will impose further export restrictions on rare earths. Most recently, the Chinese government announced on Tuesday that it intends to restrict exports of rare earths to Japan that can be used not only for civilian but also for military purposes. This could quickly impact Japanese industry and also affect the defense industry.

Much depends on how successful Japan's domestic rare earth extraction efforts are. If the test mission is successful, a large-scale test mining operation is planned to follow, starting in February 2027.

(olb)