Japan to Review Cooperation with U.S. on Pacific Seabed Rare Earth Development

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated on November 6 that securing diverse procurement channels for the development of deep-sea rare earth elements near Minamitorishima in the Pacific Ocean is important for both Japan and the United States. She added that specific approaches to cooperation would be reviewed.

Minamitorishima, Ogasawara Islands, located approximately 1900 km southeast of Tokyo.

According to Kyodo News, Prime Minister Takaichi attended the plenary session of the House of Councillors that day and announced plans for a demonstration experiment in January 2026 to extract mud containing rare earth elements from a depth of 6,000 meters near Minamitorishima. She also expressed her intention to cooperate with the United States on this project.

On October 28, Prime Minister Takaichi held a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Japan, where they signed the "Japan-U.S. Framework for Securing Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements." The agreement includes provisions to strengthen cooperation in order to accelerate a stable supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements necessary to support each country's industrial base and advanced technologies.

To this end, the two countries agreed to utilize policy tools such as financial support, trade measures, and critical mineral stockpiling systems. They also agreed to mobilize both government and private sector capital and operating funds for mining and refining investments through subsidies, guarantees, loans, and equity investments.

In 2012, the Japanese government discovered mud with a high concentration of rare earth elements on the seafloor within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Minamitorishima, an island located approximately 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo in the Ogasawara Islands. At that time, analysis by the University of Tokyo and others estimated that the surrounding rare earth reserves amounted to approximately 6.8 million tons. Japan's annual consumption of rare earth elements is about 20,000 tons.