日本挖到含稀土泥浆，高市早苗宣称“下一代、下下代都用不完”，专家称成果被夸大，其最终成本是中国的近20倍

Core Viewpoint - The successful trial extraction of rare earth mud by the "Earth" drilling ship near Minami-Torishima has been announced, but experts caution that the results are exaggerated and the project is still in its early stages [1][2][3] Group 1: Project Announcement and Government Response - The announcement of the successful trial extraction was made on February 2, ahead of the planned date, likely for political reasons during the election period [2][3] - High-ranking officials within the government expressed concerns about the premature announcement, indicating that the outlook is not entirely positive [3] Group 2: Technical Aspects of the Trial - The trial aimed to confirm the performance of equipment and operational processes for extracting mud from the deep sea, utilizing a closed-loop system [4][5] - The trial confirmed the ability to continuously recover mud from the deep sea, but the analysis of the rare earth content in the mud is still pending [6] Group 3: Economic Viability and Market Comparison - The project team plans to assess the economic feasibility by March 2028, but faces significant challenges, including high operational costs of the drilling ship and the expensive extraction process [8][9] - The estimated extraction cost of deep-sea rare earth minerals could reach $50 to $100 per kilogram, significantly higher than the average price of Chinese rare earth products [8][9] Group 4: Environmental and Technical Challenges - Experts highlight that the extraction process may have environmental impacts, particularly concerning the disposal of waste generated during the refining of rare earth mud [8][9] - Japan's current rare earth separation technology lags behind international standards, making it difficult to meet domestic demand in terms of supply volume, cost, and quality [7]