Japan has expanded its search for rare earths amid China's restrictions

Japan has sent the Chikyu ship to the remote coral island of Minamitori to explore soil rich in rare earths, as part of Tokyo's efforts to limit its dependence on China for rare earths. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on January 12.

"After seven years of continuous preparation, we can finally begin the confirmatory tests. It's very exciting," said expedition leader Shoichi Ishii.

According to him, if the expedition is successful, it will be "of great importance for diversifying purchases of rare earths."

According to analysts, Tokyo is almost entirely dependent on China for the production of some heavy rare earth elements, such as magnets for electric and hybrid car engines. The material notes that the reserves of the deposit are not disclosed, as well as production plans.

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What does this mean for Russia and China and what topics will be discussed at the first C5+1 summit in Tokyo?

In November last year, it was reported that Japan and the United States would jointly explore the possibility of developing rare earth metal deposits in the area of Minamitori Island in the Pacific Ocean. It was noted that 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.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.