TOKYO -- Japan said Monday it has successfully drilled and retrieved deep-sea sediment containing uncommon world minerals from the seabed adjacent a distant island, arsenic the state seeks to trim its reliance connected China.
The deep-sea drilling vas Chikyu's palmy gathered the sediment astatine a extent of astir 6,000 kilometers adjacent the land of Minamitorishima, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said successful a connection connected X.
The trial retrieval of the uncommon earths from that extent is simply a satellite first, she added.
“It is simply a archetypal measurement toward industrialization of domestically produced uncommon world successful Japan,” Takaichi said. “We volition marque effort toward achieving resilient proviso chains for uncommon earths and different captious minerals to debar overdependence connected a peculiar country."
China controls astir of the planetary accumulation of dense uncommon earths, which are utilized for making powerful, heat-resistant magnets successful industries specified arsenic defence and electrical vehicles.
Japan has faced increasing tensions with China since Takaichi's remark successful November astir a imaginable Japanese engagement successful the lawsuit of Chinese subject enactment against Taiwan, the self-governing land that Beijing claims arsenic its own.
China precocious suspended exports to Japan of dual-use goods with imaginable subject use, raising interest successful Japan that uncommon earths whitethorn beryllium included.
While 17 elements are classified arsenic uncommon earth, the U.S. authorities has identified 50 minerals wide that are labeled captious minerals, which besides see a fig of different minerals that are seen arsenic indispensable to the economical and subject spot of the nation.
Japanese researchers discovered deposits affluent with captious minerals astir Minamitorishima successful the 2010s, including those containing high-concentration uncommon earths that could past hundreds of years.
Under the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program, Japan has been moving connected research, improvement and feasibility studies of uncommon earths deposits astir the island.
“The palmy retrieval of the sediment containing uncommon world elements is simply a meaningful accomplishment from the perspectives of economical information and broad water development,” Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said Monday.
He said that moving toward industrialization of uncommon earths mud mining volition necessitate demonstrating the afloat process from mining done separation and refining, arsenic good arsenic verifying its economical viability, based connected the results of the ongoing tests.
Details, including the magnitude of uncommon world contained, inactive request to beryllium analyzed, officials said.
The Chikyu, which means Earth, departed past period for Minamitorishima, astir 1,950 kilometers (1,210 miles) southeast of Tokyo, and arrived astatine the mining tract connected Jan. 17. The archetypal batch of uncommon world sediment was retrieved connected Feb. 1, according to Japan's Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, which is conducting the survey.
Japan’s Self Defense Forces past twelvemonth said Chinese naval vessels had been spotted adjacent Minamitorishima.
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AP video writer Mayuko Ono successful Tokyo contributed to this report.
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