To cut reliance on China, Japan eyes bespoke ship for rare earth extraction

Japan ’s quest for rare earth self-sufficiency and its drive to decouple from Chinese supply chains have prompted the government to consider building a dedicated deep-sea mining vessel to recover minerals from the Pacific Ocean floor.

To cut reliance on China, Japan eyes bespoke ship for rare earth extraction. Japan ’s quest for rare earth self-sufficiency and its drive to decouple from Chinese supply chains have prompted the government to consider building a dedicated deep-sea mining vessel to recover minerals from the Pacific Ocean floor. Local media reported that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s special committee on ocean development will soon present a draft proposal to the Takaichi administration, calling for unspecified project funding. While the initiative will face technological and financial hurdles, analysts say developing the natural resources within Japan’s maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is crucial to the country’s economy and national security. “Japan is very poor in natural resources, but we have the sixth-largest EEZ in the world and under a...