Japan launches historic offshore mission to tap massive rare earth reserves

Japan is set to embark on a pioneering pilot project to extract rare earth minerals from an offshore seabed deposit, marking a global first in deep-sea mining.

The operation, scheduled to commence in January next year, will be conducted by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) using the deep-sea scientific drilling vessel Chikyu, Caliber.Az reports, citing Japanese media.

The Chikyu will be stationed approximately 100 to 150 kilometers off the coast of Minami-Torishima Island—a remote coral atoll located about 1,950 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. From this location, a specialized pipe will be lowered roughly 5,500 metres below the ocean surface into the seafloor to collect an estimated 35 metric tons of mud. If successful, this will represent the first-ever recovery of rare earth elements from such extreme depths.

The extraction process, including pipe deployment, is anticipated to take around three weeks, after which the vessel will transport the collected mud back to mainland Japan. Officials estimate that one ton of mud contains approximately two kilograms of rare earth minerals.

While China currently dominates global rare earth production, Japan’s exclusive economic zone—especially around Minami-Torishima—boasts significant reserves, estimated at some 16 million tons, ranking it as the third-largest rare earth deposit worldwide. Particularly abundant in this region are dysprosium, vital for electric-vehicle motor magnets, and gadolinium, used in nuclear control rods.

Japan’s government envisions integrating rare earths extracted from Minami-Torishima into the private sector as early as fiscal year 2028. However, details regarding the specific composition and extent of the deposits—buried beneath seafloor depths ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 metres—remain unclear.

JAMSTEC previously conducted a successful extraction operation off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture in August-September 2022, where the pipe reached 2,500 metres below the surface. The upcoming Minami-Torishima operation will attempt to recover material from depths more than twice as great. A successful pilot test could pave the way for large-scale extraction efforts.

Originally slated for fiscal 2024, the Minami-Torishima project faced delays due to the late delivery of the specialized pipe, manufactured by a British company. The pipe was delivered in May, clearing the way for the January start. The cost of supplying the pipe and related equipment totaled approximately 12 billion yen (about $83.3 million).

Looking ahead, a second test extraction is planned for fiscal 2027, lasting over a month and aiming to recover 1,000 tons of mud. To facilitate transport, officials intend to construct a simple refinery at Minami-Torishima itself, streamlining the processing of rare earth elements before shipment to the Japanese mainland.

By Vafa Guliyeva