Sediments containing rare minerals were extracted from ocean depths of 6,000 meters in a Japanese test mission, the government said on February 2, as it seeks to curb dependence on China for valuable minerals, Le Monde reports.
Japan says the mission was the world's first attempt to extract rare deep-sea minerals at such a depth, the Telegraph reports.
"Details will be analyzed, including exactly how many rare minerals are contained" in the sample, said government spokesman Kei Sato, calling it "a significant achievement in terms of both economic security and comprehensive maritime development."
The sample was collected by a deep-sea scientific drilling vessel called Chikyu that set off last month for the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific, where the surrounding waters are believed to contain a rich treasure trove of valuable minerals.
It comes as China - by far the world's largest supplier of rare earth minerals - increases pressure on its neighbor after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo could respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to take control of by force if necessary.
Beijing has blocked exports to Japan of "dual-use" items with potential military uses, fueling concerns in Japan that Beijing could choke off supplies of rare metals, some of which are included on China's list of dual-use goods.
Rare earth metals — 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth's crust — are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and rockets.
The area around Minami Torishima, which is located in Japan's exclusive economic zone, is estimated to contain more than 16 million tons of rare earth metals, which the Nikkei business daily says is the third-largest reserve globally.
These rich deposits contain about 730 years of dysprosium, used in high-strength magnets in telephones and electric cars, and 780 years of yttrium, used in lasers, the Nikkei said. /Telegraph
