Japan decided to extract from underwater what China doesn't produce on land (2 photos + 1 video)

While the world debates borders and sanctions, Japan has decided to simply sink to the bottom. Literally. Tokyo has officially launched the world's first full-scale operation for "sustainable" deep-sea rare earth metal mining.





On January 12, 2026, the giant vessel Chikyu departed the port of Shimizu, aiming to achieve the impossible. For the first time in the world, Tokyo initiated the continuous recovery of "rare earth sludge" from a depth of 6,000 meters. The Land of the Rising Sun's flurry of activity is no coincidence: in early January, China imposed a strict embargo on the export of dual-use goods, including critical minerals for microchips and drones.

Local strategists realized that relying on Chinese neodymium in 2026 would be like using a pager in the age of neural interfaces. So engineers turned their attention not to the mainland, but to the ocean depths. Beneath the waters of the archipelago's exclusive economic zone lies a veritable Klondike: 1.2 billion tons of this valuable resource. To give you an idea of ​​the scale, that's 16 times more than all the resources the island nation can extract on land.



These "deep-sea treasures" are practically the fuel of the future. Without them, you can't build a Tesla, an iPhone, or even the most frail wind turbine.

Mining at depths of several kilometers isn't just "scooping sand." The technological process resembles science fiction: the vessel Chikyu lowers a system of pipes to a depth of 6 kilometers, where the pressure is many times higher than atmospheric pressure. Special robotic systems literally "suck" the bottom silt, which then undergoes primary dehydration right on Minamitorishima Atoll. This process reduces the volume of raw materials transported by 80%, making extraction economically viable.

Furthermore, the Japanese assure us that their work, thanks to a powerful filtration system, will not turn the ocean into a murky puddle. If they succeed, Japan will transform from an importer into a leading distributor of high technology.

Environmentalists are certainly outraged, but who will listen to them? If current tests confirm the feasibility of consistently lifting 350 tons of sludge per day, then by 2027 Japan will launch full-scale underwater resource extraction.