UNCAPTIONED: Japan Finds Valuable Rare Earth Elements Beneath Pacific Seabed.

Japan Finds Valuable Rare Earth Elements Beneath Pacific Seabed. Japan has identified a high concentration of valuable rare earth elements in deep-sea mud recovered from the Pacific Ocean near the remote island of Minamitori, in a move that could strengthen its supply of critical minerals. Government analysis detected materials such as yttrium, gadolinium and dysprosium, which are essential for electric vehicles, semiconductors and aerospace technology. The samples were collected during a month-long mission in February by the scientific drilling vessel Chikyu, which achieved the world's first continuous recovery of rare earth-rich mud. Officials have not disclosed the total size of the deposits, saying the initial survey covered only a limited area and more exploration is needed to determine the full scale of the resource. The discovery is part of Japan's broader strategy to reduce its dependence on China, which has tightened export controls on heavy rare earths used in advanced manufacturing and military applications. Japan plans to begin a large-scale mining trial in the same waters in February 2027, aiming to recover about 350 tonnes of seabed mud per day for processing and evaluation. The extracted material will be transported to mainland Japan, where researchers will test separation, refining and smelting technologies needed for commercial production. Authorities expect the trial to determine whether large-scale domestic rare earth production is economically viable, with a full assessment of the project's industrial potential due by March 2028.