China · Wired
6,000 Meters Under the Pacific, Japan Seeks Independence From China on Rare Earths
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Tokyo is succeeding where the rest of the world has failed, reducing its reliance on Beijing for crucial rare earth elements—thanks to an enormous underwater deposit discovered on a remote island.
Key facts
- The Shock of 2010 and the Strategic Shift Tokyo’s race toward mining self-sufficiency didn't begin today
- Elements such as dysprosium and yttrium, of which the area around Minamitorishima contains estimated reserves of 730 and 780 years of consumption, respectively, have become critical materials — It is one of the most remote islands in Japan's vast archipelago, so much so that it lies nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo
- Rare earths are a group of 17 metals critical to advanced technologies
Summary
It's called Minamitorishima, and it's a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote islands in Japan's vast archipelago, so much so that it lies nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. The feat is set to strengthen Japan's role in the increasingly crucial rare earths sector, a central element in the trade war between China and the United States . Indeed, Japan is the only major industrial country that, while remaining partially exposed, has managed to significantly reduce its dependence on Beijing. The “Mission Impossible” in the Pacific Seabed The Minamitorishima operation, conducted with the scientific deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu, represents the world's first attempt to sample at such depths. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals critical to advanced technologies. According to some estimates, the Japanese submarine deposit could contain more than 16 million tons of rare earths, shaping up as the world's third-largest reserve.
The embargo caused panic across industries, particularly in the automotive sector, and global prices of rare earths increased tenfold within a year. Unlike other industrial countries, which viewed the episode as a circumscribed or temporary strain in those years, Tokyo interpreted it as a structural signal.