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Japan will begin testing mining rare-earth clay from the seabed by early 2026

The head of the government-backed Minamitori Island project announced on Friday that Japan will begin testing mining for rare-earth rich mud off Minamitori Island in January of next year. Minamitori Island is located 1,900 km (1,180 mi) southeast of Tokyo.

Tokyo wants to ensure a stable supply of minerals despite China's tightening of export controls. China's decision on rare-earths magnets, alloys and mixtures to restrict exports is causing concern among global manufacturers.

In an interview, Shoichi Ishii told us that the goal was to ensure a domestic supply in order to improve national security rather than allow private companies to make money from rare earths.

He added that this would be the first time in the history of mankind to try and extract mud from deep seabeds for separation and refinement of rare earth elements.

As part of its efforts to improve maritime and economic security, the Japanese government has launched a project to increase domestic production of rare earths.

Ishii stated that surveys have confirmed the existence of rare-earth rich mud at a depth of between 5,000 and 6,000 meters in Japan's exclusive economy zone (EEZ), near Minamitori Island.

Ishii stated that the mud may contain neodymium and dysprosium, both of which are used as motor magnets for electric vehicles, as well gadolinium or terbium used in high-tech products.

The mud will be extracted using pipes from a deep-sea research vessel operated by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

The project, if successful, will launch a trial operation of a system that can recover 350 metric tonnes of mud each day by January 2027.

The project has been funded by the government, but no details have been released on the size of investment and estimated reserves.

(source: Reuters)