Japan reaches to the bottom of the Pacific. Success of the Chikyu ship in rare earth mining

A Japanese research vessel recovered sediment containing rare earth metals from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 6,000 m. meters – Kyodo reported. This is an attempt to make Japan independent of supplies from China, although the authorities admit that the commercial exploitation of the deposits is questionable due to costs.

– This is a significant achievement in terms of economic security – said Masanao Ozaki, deputy chief secretary of the government, on Monday. At the same time, he noted that it is necessary not only to develop refining technology, but above all to “verify economic profitability”, because the main obstacle remains the huge costs of extraction and transport from remote areas around the island of Minami Torishima, located approx. 1.8 thousand km away. km southeast of the Japanese Islands.

The samples were collected by the Chikyu research vessel, which operated in Japan's exclusive economic zone in the Pacific. According to Kyodo, a full-scale attempt at mineral extraction may begin within a year.

According to estimates, the Minami Torishima region contains over 16 million tons of raw materials necessary for the high-tech sector. These resources could theoretically meet the world's demand for dysprosium – crucial for the automotive industry to produce the strongest permanent (neodymium) magnets – for 730 years, and for yttrium – which has a wide range of applications, from advanced optics and lasers to materials engineering – for 780 years.

Japan's actions are a direct response to the dominance of China, which controls over 90 percent. world refining of these metals. China began to use raw materials as a tool of political pressure, blocking the export of dual-use goods. Tensions between China and Japan increased in November when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a military response in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

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