Japan said it would accelerate plans to mine rare earths from the deep ocean, in order to reduce reliance on China.
A mining vessel has been placing equipment near a coral island 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) from Japan, intended to pull metal-bearing mud from the seabed for tests by early next year, and Tokyo said Monday it had successfully retrieved rare earth sediment.
Rare earths are vital for defense and the energy transition, but China accounts for about three-fifths of global mining and 91% of refined output, and, after a recent diplomatic spat, Beijing banned exports of some products to Japan. Advances in technology make them feasible to access on the ocean floor, but mining may damage undersea ecosystems.
