Japan starts deep-sea rare earth test mining to cut reliance on China
· UPIJan. 11 (Asia Today) -- Japan will begin deep-sea rare earth exploration in the South Pacific on Monday as it moves to diversify supply chains amid tighter Chinese export controls on rare earths, Japanese media reported.
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology's research vessel Jikyu is set to depart Shimizu Port in Shizuoka Prefecture and head toward waters near Minamitorishima, Japan's easternmost island about 1,950 kilometers from Tokyo, according to the Asahi Shimbun and other reports.
The ship will conduct test operations inside Japan's exclusive economic zone, about 150 kilometers southeast of Minamitorishima, to evaluate mining equipment and procedures.
The team plans to lower mining equipment to the seabed about 6,000 meters down to extract mud containing rare earth elements. The reports said samples could be recovered as early as the end of this month.
The mud will then undergo separation and purification onboard and on land, with the test operation scheduled to run through Feb. 14.
Japanese officials plan to review commercial viability if the test succeeds, with a goal of launching full-scale mining experiments starting next February that could bring up as much as 350 tons of rare earth-bearing sediment a day, the reports said.
Japanese media described the effort as the world's first deep-sea rare earth test mining attempt and linked it to Japan's push to build a more independent supply chain as China dominates global rare earth production.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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