Re <<Dark Side of China>>
it has been awhile, and so must be time for Bloomberg to refresh an earlier tale, now a meme. Perhaps soon shall show us some pictures and maps.
3oth October 2022 bloomberg.com
Japan Looks 6,000 Meters Under the Sea for Rare Earths to Counter China, Report Says
26th March 2013 Message 28801188
Japan breaks China's stranglehold on rare metals with sea-mud bonanza
27th May 2018 Message 31632301
In January 2013, a deep-sea research vessel from Japan obtained seven samples of mud collected two to four meters below the seafloor at 5,600 to 5,800 meters in depth, near Japan’s Minami-Tori-shima Island, also known as Marcus Island, within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
31st May 2019 Message 32178393
Don’t Panic About Rare Earth Elements
11th November 2020 Message 33034512
In 2018, Japanese researchers made what was described as a "game changing" find on its small island of Minamitori in the Pacific Ocean, where millions of tons of extremely valuable rare earths were discovered in nearby deep sea mud.
29th January 2021 Message 33172457
"The U.S. currently imports 80 percent of its REEs directly from China, with remaining portions indirectly sourced from China through other countries," it said.
4th March 2021 Message 33266712
MP Materials will build facilities to process rare earths, part of an effort to secure supply independent from China.
bloomberg.com
Japan Looks 6,000 Meters Under the Sea for Rare Earths to Counter China, Report Says
Government plans to counter China’s dominance of the minerals
Japan to start study mining methods near Ogasawara islands
By Annie Lee
31 October 2022 at 14:49 GMT+8
Japan is looking 6,000 meters under the sea for rare earths to counter China’s dominance of the critical minerals that are used in everything from smartphones to weapons, according to the Yomiuri newspaper.
The government intends to start developing the methods necessary to extract the elements near the Ogasawara islands in the fiscal year beginning in April, and aims to begin prospecting within five years, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified officials.
The exploration will deploy technology tested off the coast of Ibaraki prefecture in August and September, where the deep-sea drilling vessel “Chikyu” was able to pump about 70 tons of mud per day for sifting, according to the report. Japan wants private companies to be able to enter the market from fiscal 2028.
China controls most of the world’s mined output of rare earths, a broad group of 17 elements, and has a stranglehold over processing. While the minerals are relatively abundant, concentrated deposits that are economic to mine are scarce. |
