Japan plans to conduct full-scale underwater mining tests in February to extract rare earth minerals from the seabed near a remote Pacific island, following a successful mission that recovered samples from six kilometres below the sea surface.
The initiative comes as Japan and the United States seek to reduce their reliance on China for critical minerals.
These valuable materials are essential for producing high-technology products, including military missiles, electronic components, and wind turbines.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed on social media that ocean floor samples collected earlier this year by a specialised drilling ship contained traces of yttrium.
The mineral was recovered from a depth of roughly 6,000 metres near the remote coral atoll of Minami Torishima.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi highlighted that yttrium is scarce globally and plays a critical role in the manufacture of semiconductor coating agents, automotive catalytic converters, and industrial electronics.
Following the successful retrieval of seabed material, the government plans to proceed with a larger mining trial early next year.
The Prime Minister added that the government and private sector will work together to build resilient supply chains so that the nation does not depend excessively on single foreign suppliers.
The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology confirmed that analysis of 50 tonnes of recovered ocean mud showed gadolinium and dysprosium were present.
Minami Torishima lies approximately 2,000 kilometres southeast of Tokyo, and previous geological surveys suggest that the surrounding seabed could hold millions of tonnes of rare earth elements.
Scientists estimate that these deep-water deposits could potentially satisfy national demand for certain critical minerals for hundreds of years.
However, environmental campaigners have expressed strong concern, warning that deep-sea mining operations risk causing severe and irreversible damage to delicate marine ecosystems.
China currently controls nearly two-thirds of global rare earth mining and processes over 90 per cent of the refined output, according to data from the International Energy Agency.
Recent diplomatic friction between Tokyo and Beijing has led to tightened Chinese export restrictions, accelerating Japanese efforts to secure domestic mineral sources.
In addition to resource extraction, Japanese officials confirmed earlier this year that preliminary surveys are under way to assess whether the uninhabited island could eventually serve as a long-term storage facility for nuclear waste.
