Japan was the first in the world to begin mining rare earth metals from the ocean floor

Japan became the first country in the world to move from theory to practice and launched the extraction of rare earth metals from the ocean floor.

Tokyo started pilot mission for the extraction of rare earths from a depth of about 6 kilometerswhich takes the struggle for strategic raw materials to a fundamentally new dimension.

The operation involves a specialized vessel operating on the principle giant underwater vacuum cleaner: the seabed is loosened, and silt deposits containing valuable elements pumped out through a pipeline using powerful pumps.

Japan becomes the first country in the world to begin mining rare earth metals from the ocean floor

Tokyo has launched a test mission to extract rare earth elements from a depth of around 6 kilometres.

A specialized vessel operates like a giant vacuum cleaner — loosening the… pic.twitter.com/FOszclobzn

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 15, 2026

According to Japanese experts, one ton of bottom sediments may contain at least 2 kilograms of rare earth metals. These elements are critical to production electronics, electric vehicles, batteriesas well as for the needs defense industry.

The project is seen as a strategic step towards reducing dependence on external supplies of rare earths and strengthening technological and industrial sovereignty countries.

If the experiment is successful, undersea mining could transform the global market for rare earth metals, turning the ocean floor into new source of geo-economic competition.

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