Japan deep-sea hunt finds rare earths as it seeks to cut reliance on China

In February 2026, Japan announced a successful deep-sea mission in the Pacific Ocean, retrieving sediment containing rare earth elements from a record depth of 6,000 meters. The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) conducted the mission near Minami Torishima, an island within Japan's economic waters. The area is estimated to hold over 16 million tonnes of rare earths, making it the third-largest reserve globally. This effort aims to reduce Japan's reliance on China for these valuable minerals, aligning with a recent agreement between Japan and the United States to secure the supply of rare earths. The retrieved sample is currently being analyzed to determine the quantity of rare earth elements present.

Japan has successfully retrieved rare earth-rich mud from 6,000 meters beneath the sea in a test mission. The government aims to analyze the sample to determine its rare earth content. This initiative is part of a decade-long plan to extract rare earths from the deep seabed, accelerated by Japan's desire to reduce its dependence on China for these valuable minerals. A state-owned vessel is scheduled to return to port this month to prepare for seabed mud extraction tests near a coral atoll 2,000km from Tokyo, planned for as early as February 2027. The project is driven by economic security concerns and the need for Japan to secure its own supply chain of rare earths.