In an effort to reduce its reliance on Chinese rare earths, Japan has dispatched ships to explore the seabed for rare earth resources.

According to a report by Global Times citing Japanese media on the 12th, the Japanese deep-sea drilling ship "Earth" set off from the Kusui Port in Shizuoka City at 9 a.m. that day, heading to the Nankun Island area about 2,000 kilometers away from Tokyo to conduct a drilling experiment on the seabed mud containing rare earth elements.

The report states that the "Earth" vessel is expected to take around one week to reach the waters near South Bird Island, and then conduct a deep-sea mud extraction experiment lasting approximately 20 days. During this experiment, mud samples from about 6,000 meters deep off the coast of South Bird Island will be brought onto the ship, and the feasibility of actual extraction will be tested. According to previous reports, Japan discovered a high-concentration layer of rare earth mud in the seabed near South Bird Island in 2012.

Some Japanese media have mentioned that currently, Japan relies on China for over 70% of its rare earth imports. On the 6th of this month, China announced that it would prohibit the export of items with dual military and civilian uses that could be used for military purposes. The tense relationship between China and Japan has led to greater concern in Japan about its ability to independently develop rare earth resources.

The project leader, Shigeki Ishii, said, "We are considering diversifying the sources of rare earth purchases to reduce excessive reliance on specific countries. One of the measures is to strive for the domestic production of rare earths." Shigeki Ishii added that if the experiment is successful, Japan is expected to start commercial mining in February 2027.