中方稀土反制失效？高市打出藏了14年的底牌，35天要拿下胜利

Group 1 - Japan plans to conduct trial deep-sea rare earth mining near Minami-Torishima from January 11 to February 14, with estimated reserves exceeding 16 million tons, potentially meeting global demand for dysprosium for about 730 years, europium for 620 years, and yttrium for 780 years [1][5] - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has publicly announced a deep-sea rare earth mining plan that has been in preparation for 14 years, aiming for commercialization by 2027, which could reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths [5][6] - China currently holds about 50% of global rare earth reserves and controls over 90% of the processing industry, making it a dominant player in the global rare earth supply chain [3][5] Group 2 - Japan has invested 12 billion yen (approximately 600 million RMB) for initial equipment, planning to extract 70 kilograms of rare earths from 35 tons of mud during a 35-day operation, which is equivalent to 2-3 days of China's production [6][8] - The cost of rare earth extraction in Japan is significantly higher than in China, where extraction costs range from 8,000 to 10,000 RMB per ton, posing challenges for Japan's mining efforts [8] - Japan's deep-sea mining plan has faced multiple delays since its inception in 2012, with concerns about its feasibility and the environmental risks associated with the extraction process [8]