Japan and the United States intend to mine rare earth metals in the Pacific Ocean

Japan and the United States will jointly explore the possibility of developing rare earth metal deposits in the area of Minamitori Island in the Pacific Ocean. This was reported on November 6 by Reuters with reference to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

According to Takaichi, there are deposits of silt around Minamitori Island, about 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo, potentially containing rare earth elements.

The Japanese government is promoting a national project to develop domestic production of rare earth metals as part of efforts to strengthen maritime and economic security.

Japan plans to explore the possibility of extracting material from a depth of about 6 km. If the trial sampling of the material is successful, it is planned to start production in the amount of 350 tons per day from January 2027. It is planned to involve the United States to help develop a potential field, the article says.

So much, but not enough: what are rare earth metals and what are they for?

In 2025, Russia began to actively develop the industry

During US President Donald Trump's visit to Tokyo on October 28, the countries signed a framework agreement to ensure the supply of rare earth metals to counter China's dominance in materials that are used everywhere from cars to fighter jets.

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