Japan begins exploitation of the ocean floor

On 12 January, the Japanese mining vessel Chikyu set out on a historic mission to exploit the Pacific seabed. If the venture succeeds, Japan will become the first country in the world to extract rare earth elements from the deep sea. For the government in Tokyo, this is an attempt to reduce dependence on China, for the world, a reminder of the controversies surrounding deep-sea mining.

Mud rich in valuable elements

On Monday, the crew of Chikyu departed from the port of Shimizu towards a coral atoll near Minamitori Island, located 1,900 km from Tokyo. According to scientists, it is here, at a depth of more than 6 km, that mud rich in rare earth elements (REE) such as neodymium, dysprosium and yttrium can be found. The area lies within Japan’s territorial waters, so the operation does not infringe on the interests of other countries.

The 130-member crew of Chikyu will spend an entire month at sea, attempting to collect as much potentially valuable mud as possible. The operation is of a test nature. If it proves successful, Japan plans to launch permanent extraction of critical raw materials from the ocean floor in February 2027. The plan assumes that the mud recovered from the depths will be transported to the port of Minamitorishima, where its volume will be reduced by 80 percent by pumping out seawater. The raw material will then be sent to refining facilities on the country’s main islands.

The Tokyo government has been working on a strategy for the economic exploitation of the Pacific Ocean floor since 2018. So far, more than USD 250 million has been allocated for this purpose.

Japan in conflict with China

Japan’s plan to extract rare earth metals from its own maritime waters has a strong political undertone. Currently, the operations of local companies depend on the supply of critical raw materials from China, the largest mining giant in the region. However, relations between the countries are tense, and in the first week of January the government in Beijing drastically limited exports, attempting to tighten control over the rare earth elements market.

A similar incident already occurred in 2010 and forced Japan to diversify supplies by establishing cooperation with Australia and increasing recycling levels. Extracting metals crucial to the economy on its own territory would be a further step towards reducing dependence on China.

Deep-sea mining remains a contentious issue

The Japanese project enjoys full government support, as a stable supply of rare earth elements is now crucial for the production of electric vehicles, generators in wind turbines, electronic equipment and military hardware. Preliminary estimates of deposits around Minamitori Island speak of 16 million tonnes of REE. Local dysprosium resources alone would cover the needs of the Japanese economy for 730 years.

Unfortunately, this initiative also has its downsides. Scientists and environmentalists are voicing strong objections. In the opinion of the international coalition fighting for the protection of the ocean floor, The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, deep-sea mining poses a serious and not fully studied threat to marine ecosystems, and its implementation should be banned at least until potential risks are fully identified. Observations to date suggest that extracting resources from the ocean floor may lead to widespread and irreversible losses in biodiversity and additionally disrupt the functioning of the world’s largest carbon store.

By 2025, 40 countries had spoken in favour of maintaining a moratorium on deep-sea mining. In December, even the government of Norway, which some time ago announced the sale of licences for resource extraction over an area of 280,000 km2 of its territorial waters, decided to suspend activities until 2029.

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main photo: World Meteorological Organization/Flickr