# Chikyū

Japan Declares Breakthrough in Deep‑sea Rare‑earth Harvesting as Beijing’s Export Curbs Bite

Japan says it has successfully retrieved rare‑earth mud from seabed deposits near Minami‑Tori‑Shima and hopes to begin commercial mining by February 2027 if trials continue to succeed. The move is partly a response to China’s recent export controls, but technical, financial and environmental barriers make the 2027 timeline ambitious.