Japan research vessel returns to port after collecting rare earth mud

SHIZUOKA — A Japanese research vessel returned to a port in central Japan on Saturday after collecting mud containing rare earth elements as part of a study on the feasibility of extracting critical minerals from the seabed.

Following the analysis of the mud samples, an implementation plan for a full-scale mining test slated for February 2027 will be drawn up. The government plans to evaluate the cost benefits of industrializing deep-sea rare earths by March 2028.

The vessel Chikyu left Shimizu Port in Shizuoka Prefecture on Jan. 12 and retrieved mud from Feb. 1 from a depth of about 5,600 meters in waters off Minamitori Island in the Pacific, around 1,900 kilometers southeast of central Tokyo.

"We have established technology to retrieve rare earth mud from the deep-sea floor," Shoichi Ishii, program director of the Cabinet Office who is leading the project, told reporters at the port. "We will accelerate preparations for a full-fledged test."

In the upcoming test, the goal is to collect about 350 tons of sediment per day.

The effort is a step toward the domestic production of rare earths crucial to modern technology, including electric vehicles and defense equipment, amid China's dominance in supply and refining.

Rare earth sediments lie on the seabed within Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to the Cabinet Office, but the cost of mining and transporting rare earths from remote areas such as Minamitori is seen as a hurdle to exploiting them for industrial use.

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