Japan discovers rare earth elements in seabed near Minamitorishima

The Japanese government has announced the discovery of significant quantities of medium and heavy rare earth elements in seabed mud recovered off the remote Pacific island of Minamitorishima, as part of efforts to diversify sources of critical minerals needed for the defense and automotive industries.

According to the government, analysis of mud samples extracted earlier this year revealed that around 54% of the total rare earth content was concentrated in these samples. Approximately 50 metric tons of mud were collected.

The analysis identified elements such as yttrium, gadolinium, and dysprosium, which are used in the aerospace, energy, and semiconductor industries, as well as in MRI devices and high-performance magnets for electric vehicles.

The government also noted that current data remain insufficient to accurately determine the size or content of the deposits, due to the short sampling period and limited geographic scope.

First continuous deep-sea extraction operation

The Japanese scientific drilling vessel Chikyu completed a month-long mission in February near Minamitorishima, located about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. The vessel achieved the world’s first successful continuous extraction of rare earth-bearing seabed mud from depths of up to 6 kilometers.