Japan Eyes Minamitori Island for Rare Earths and Nuclear Waste Storage

Japan is pinning significant hopes on the remote Pacific island of Minamitori, located thousands of kilometers from Tokyo, as a potential solution to its strategic dependence on China for rare earth elements. The island is also being considered as a site for storing the nation's nuclear waste.

Recent advancements have bolstered Japan's ambitions. In February, the country reported successfully extracting 50 tons of rare earth-rich mud from a depth of nearly 6,000 meters. By late July, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) confirmed the significant presence of valuable elements like yttrium, dysprosium, and gadolinium. These elements are crucial for advanced industries, including automotive, high-tech electronics, and defense applications.

Japan has been exploring the seabed around Minamitori, a triangular island featuring a runway and inhabited solely by members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and official agencies like the Japan Meteorological Agency, for over a decade. Full-scale mining tests are scheduled to commence in February of the following year, involving JAMSTEC extracting tons of seabed mud for a month. This material will be dehydrated on Minamitori before transport to the mainland, with commercialization potentially beginning in March 2028 if the exploitation proves viable.

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It seems improbable that it can compete in price with Chinese rare earths.

However, significant technical hurdles cast doubt on the project's economic feasibility. Academic Yuki Kobayashi of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation noted in an article that competing with Chinese rare earth prices appears "improbable." Even if Japan's reserves are substantial, Kobayashi suggests the project's value may lie beyond mere economics. Contributing even less than 10% of domestic demand could significantly reduce Japan's reliance on China, which currently dominates global rare earth production, processing, and exports, wielding considerable geopolitical influence.

The strategic importance of Minamitori was highlighted in discussions between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last March. The island's potential to secure critical resources and manage hazardous waste underscores Japan's drive for greater resource independence.

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acquire great importance for Japan