Japan plans to build a rare earth processing facility on its easternmost islands before 2027

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Japan plans to build a deep-sea rare earth mud processing facility on Minamitorishima, the easternmost point of Japan, through the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program before 2027. The waters near the island are rich in mud containing rare earth elements such as dysprosium, and they contain almost no radioactive or other harmful substances, making them easy to process.

The Strategic Innovation Promotion Program has identified the mining of marine rare earth resources as a key project. From January to February next year, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology will conduct experimental mining within the exclusive economic zone of Minamitorishima using deep-sea research vessels to collect small amounts of mud. Full-scale demonstration operations will begin in February 2027.

In the recently approved supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2025, Japan has allocated 16.4 billion yen, equivalent to approximately 105 million USD, for the development costs related to the 2027 demonstration tests, including processing facilities, transport vessels, and helicopters and planes needed for personnel rotation