Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining: Major Step toward Breaking Free from Dependence on China

Editorial

16:36 JST, February 12, 2026

It is disconcerting to be dependent on China for critical resources essential to high-tech products. A significant step forward was recently taken in overcoming this situation.

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and another entity successfully recovered mud bearing rare earths from the deep ocean floor off Minami-Torishima Island, part of Tokyo.

JAMSTEC’s deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu extended a pipe nearly 6,000 meters down and collected the seafloor mud, bringing it onto the ship. Japan’s deep-sea drilling technology, which has been honed for such tasks as investigating earthquake epicenters, proved useful.

Rare earths are a collective term for 17 special elements widely used as materials in motors and laser equipment among other products. They are indispensable for high-tech industries such as electric vehicles and robotics, making their importance increasingly critical.

While the resources themselves exist worldwide, the mining and refining processes produce toxic liquid waste and radioactive substances, making production difficult in developed nations. Currently, China accounts for about 70% of mining and roughly 90% of refining volume.

In recent years, China has leveraged this de facto monopoly, using rare earths as a “diplomatic card” to exert pressure on other nations.

China countered U.S. tariffs with export restrictions on rare earths. Furthermore, following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark in the Diet regarding a Taiwan contingency, China imposed an export ban on certain products to Japan, creating adverse effects such as by stalling rare earth imports.

The mud off Minami-Torishima has a high rare earth concentration and is less harmful. This is expected to make extraction work relatively easy. Mass domestic production, if achieved, could help to counter China’s economic pressure.

Although high-quality mud is abundantly available, production costs remain a challenge. The recovered mud must be transported 1,900 kilometers to Japan’s main islands. Currently, Chikyu is the only specialized vessel that can drill into the seabed at depths of 6,000 meters.

Building on this successful test drilling, JAMSTEC plans to expand its collecting capacity to up to 350 tons of mud a day next year. However, estimates suggest that 3,500 tons of rare earth-laden mud would need to be collected per day to make the venture profitable. It will take time to reach full-scale production.

Nevertheless, from an economic security perspective, the government should persistently pursue technological development and the establishment of production systems.

In the meantime, procurement sources for rare earths should be diversified and dependence on China reduced. Existing initiatives, such as expanding national stockpiles and strengthening recycling of used equipment, must be continued.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 12, 2026)