Japan plans 'world first' deep-sea extraction of critical minerals
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Earlier this week the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as concern grows over China's dominance in resources vital to new technologies.
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Rare earths — 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth's crust — are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles.
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China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 per cent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency.
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A Japanese deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu will from January conduct a 'test cruise' to retrieve ocean floor sediments that contain rare earth elements, said Shoichi Ishii, director of Japan's Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Programme.
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'The test to retrieve the sediments from 5,500 metres (3.4 miles) water depth is the first in the world,' he told AFP.
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'Our goal… of this cruise is to test the function of all mining equipment,' so the amount of sediment extracted 'doesn't matter at all', Ishii added.
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The Chikyu will drill in Japanese economic waters around the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific — the easternmost point of Japan, also used as a military base.
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Japan's Nikkei business daily reported that the mission aims to extract 35 tonnes of mud from the sea floor over around three weeks.
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Each tonne is expected to contain around two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rare earth minerals, which are often used to make magnets that are essential in modern electronics.
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Deep-sea mining has become a geopolitical flashpoint, with anxiety growing over a push by U.S. President Donald Trump to fast-track the practice in international waters.
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Beijing has since April required licences to export rare earths from China, a move seen as retaliation for U.S. curbs on the import of Chinese goods.
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Environmental campaigners warn that deep-sea mining threatens marine ecosystems and will disrupt the sea floor.
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The International Seabed Authority, which has jurisdiction over the ocean floor outside national waters, is meeting later this month to discuss a global code to regulate mining in the ocean depths.
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