Japan Critical Minerals
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Japan mines almost none of the critical minerals it uses and imports roughly 70% of its rare earths from China, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun as reported by Al Jazeera. Its answers are a government-private rare metals stockpile run by JOGMEC since 1983, long-term supply deals such as the 12-year agreement between Lynas and Japan Australia Rare Earths from March 2026, and a deep-sea test that retrieved rare earth mud from 6,000 metres in February 2026. On 24 February 2026 China restricted dual-use exports to 20 Japanese entities.
70%
of Japan's rare earth imports come from China, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun
Source: Al Jazeera, 2 February 2026
1983
year the government-private rare metals stockpiling system was established; stocks are released when overseas supply is interrupted
Source: JOGMEC
5,000 t
a year of firm NdPr offtake in Lynas's 12-year agreement with Japan Australia Rare Earths, with a US$110 per kilogram floor
Source: Lynas 2026 Annual Report
6,000 m
depth from which the research vessel Chikyu retrieved rare-earth-bearing mud in February 2026
Source: Al Jazeera, 2 February 2026
How does Japan secure critical minerals?
Japan combines a stockpile, state-backed investment through JOGMEC and long-term offtake with Australia and others. The table gives each measure with its date and source.
| Measure or event | What it does | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOGMEC rare metals stockpile | A cooperative system between the government and private sector; stockpiled rare metals are released when overseas supply is interrupted or domestic supply is short. JOGMEC's page does not give the number of metals or target days | Established 1983 | JOGMEC |
| Lynas and Japan Australia Rare Earths (JARE) | Updated 12-year agreement: firm offtake of 5,000 t a year of NdPr with a US$110 per kilogram floor and upside sharing above US$150 capped at US$10 million a year; up to 7,200 t a year of NdPr available to Japanese industry to 2038; firm offtake of 50% of heavy rare earth oxides | March 2026 | Lynas |
| Deep-sea rare earth mud test | The Chikyu, operated by JAMSTEC, retrieved rare-earth-bearing sediment from 6,000 m; the sample was being analysed and Japan called it the first attempt at that depth | 2 February 2026 | Al Jazeera |
| JOGMEC and Aclara joint venture | JOGMEC will fund up to $3 million of exploration over three years, with an option for $1.5 million more, for ionic clay heavy rare earth deposits in Brazil and may take 30% of one Aclara project | 8 September 2026 | Engineering News |
| China's dual-use export restrictions on Japan | China restricted dual-use exports to 20 Japanese entities, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' shipbuilding group and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and put 20 more on a watchlist; Tokyo called the move deplorable | 24 February 2026 | Al Jazeera |
Which critical minerals does Japan refine?
USGS names Japan in its tables for iodine and for refined tellurium and indium. Japan is a producer of a few specialty products, not a miner of the bulk critical minerals.
| Mineral | 2025 production (USGS estimate) | Share of world | Rank | Reserves (share of world) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine | 9,000 t of elemental iodine | 26% | 2 of 8 | 4,900,000 t |
| Tellurium | 61 t | 5.9% | 3 of 9 | not reported |
| Indium | 65 t | 5.9% | 3 of 9 | not reported |
| Bismuth | 500 t | 3.1% | 3 of 8 | not reported |
| Gallium | 3,000 kg | 0.3% | 3 of 4 | not reported |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 chapters. Shares are calculated by this site from the USGS country figure and the larger of the USGS world total and the sum of the country figures, because USGS rounds the world total. Units differ by row. Rank is among the countries named in each USGS table. Tellurium and indium are refinery production; iodine is mine production.
What is Japan's position in the supply chain?
Japan is a major supplier to others as well as a buyer. USGS lists Japan among the major suppliers of six of the critical minerals the United States imports, alongside Mexico and South Africa, and its own refining includes an estimated 9,000 t of iodine (26% of the world, second) and 65 t of indium (5.9%). The page on stockpiling and inventory cycles compares national stockpiles.
How is Japan responding to China's controls?
Japan is diversifying rather than replacing. The Lynas agreement ties Japanese buyers to Malaysian and Australian oxide production, JOGMEC is financing exploration in Brazil, and the Chikyu test is a long-term option rather than a near-term source. The China profile sets out the controls Japan faces and the refiners page shows what Lynas produced in the year to June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much of its rare earths does Japan import from China?
The Yomiuri Shimbun, quoted by Al Jazeera on 2 February 2026, put the figure at roughly 70 percent. Japan has diversified since 2010, but China remains its largest source.
What is JOGMEC's stockpile?
JOGMEC runs a rare metals stockpiling system established in 1983 as a cooperative arrangement between the government and private sector. Stocks are released when overseas supply is interrupted or domestic supply is short.
What is the Lynas agreement with Japan?
In March 2026 Lynas and Japan Australia Rare Earths updated a 12-year agreement with firm offtake of 5,000 tonnes a year of NdPr at a US$110 per kilogram floor and firm offtake of 50% of heavy rare earth oxides.
Did China restrict exports to Japan in 2026?
Yes. On 24 February 2026 China's commerce ministry restricted dual-use exports to 20 Japanese entities and added 20 more to a watchlist, according to Al Jazeera, and Japan's government protested.
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- Al Jazeera: Japan deep-sea hunt finds rare earths (2 February 2026). News report; the 70% figure is attributed to the Yomiuri Shimbun
- Al Jazeera: Tokyo protests as China blocks dual-use exports to 20 Japanese companies (25 February 2026)
- JOGMEC: Stockpiling of rare metals
- Lynas Rare Earths: 2026 Annual Report (26 August 2026)
- Engineering News: Aclara forms JV with Japan's JOGMEC (9 September 2026)
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (full publication, import sources)
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Indium
