Japan mines Pacific seabed to loosen China's grip on rare earths | FT #shorts

Japan is embarking on an ambitious push to extract rare earth elements from the ocean floor, betting that deep sea resources could strengthen its economic security. The effort is expected to accelerate under Prime Minister Sai Takayichi, who describes deep sea mining as the first step towards domestically industrializing rare earths. In 2011, Japan discovered resources near Minami Toishima, an atal 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo that is part of the country's exclusive economic zone.Following her landslide elec ...