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August 15, 2026
 

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MINERALS

U.S. President Donald Trump during an American mining industry roundtable discussion at the State Department in Washington on Friday
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2026
U.S. to invest $3 billion in minerals projects to boost supply chains
Minerals including rare earths, tungsten, germanium and scandium are essential for precision-guided missiles and other advanced weapons.
Crushed ore before it is sent to the mill at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California, in 2020
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2026
Trump may need to allow Chinese minerals as U.S. industry struggles to meet 2027 deadline
Partnerships with South Korea and Japan may offer a bridge for manufacturers until U.S. suppliers can ramp up operations.
A large drill is seen on the deep-sea drilling ship Chikyu off the coast of Minamitorishima island, a coral atoll some 1,900 kilometers from Tokyo, in this image released Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2026
Japan identifies large share of rare earths in deep-sea mud off remote island
An analysis of mud from off Minamitorishima island found medium and heavy rare earth elements accounted for about 54% of the total rare earth content.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Two Japanese held in China for allegedly smuggling export-restricted goods
The goods the two are alleged to have smuggled were rare-earth related products, media reports said.
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China¡¯s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2026
China¡¯s mineral squeeze testing Â鶹´«Ã½ military buildup
The restrictions are exposing vulnerabilities in Â鶹´«Ã½ defense-industrial supply chains while also providing the clearest test yet of Tokyo¡¯s push to bolster economic security.
China¡¯s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2026
China targets U.S. rare earths firms in response to Pentagon list
China¡¯s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
A sample of dysprosium oxide.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2026
China¡¯s key minerals exports to Japan stay at low levels in May
Exports of some key types of tungsten, as well as rare-earths dysprosium and terbium, stayed at zero in May, according to Chinese customs data.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2026
In G7 debut, Takaichi puts economic security at heart of Japanese diplomacy
The prime minister¡¯s clearest imprint came in the area of critical minerals, where bloc leaders agreed to step up cooperation on supply-chain resilience and stockpiling.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends her first Group of Seven summit on Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Takaichi proposes G7 framework for stockpiling critical minerals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pitched a plan for coordinating critical mineral stockpiles among the group and like-minded nations, amid China¡¯s tight grip on key supply chains.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington on Feb. 4.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2026
Trump¡¯s mineral pricing plan faces skeptical G7 and divided industry
Negotiations for a Western trading bloc are stumbling over concerns about the plan¡¯s cost and governance.
A coal power plant in rare earth industry hub city Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, on April 6.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Coal-rich Mongolia aims to boost China trade ties despite dependence risk
Two-way trade is expected to reach $20 billion this year, President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh told ?Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Samples of rare earth-bearing mud extracted from the seabed around Minamitorishima island in February are examined.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 7, 2026
Japan tackles challenges of seafloor rare earth mining, eyeing economic security
In February, Japan succeeded in a test collection of rare earth-bearing mud from a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level near the remote Japanese island of Minamitorishima.
European Union Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership on critical minerals at the State Department in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2026
U.S. and EU deepen cooperation on critical minerals with eye to broader agreement
The two signed a memorandum of understanding for a partnership on producing and securing critical minerals, with a specific ?action plan ?for trade announced separately.
Blocks with symbols and atomic numbers of rare earth elements
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2026
EU and U.S. near critical minerals deal to combat Chinese control
The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an ¡°action plan.¡±
Instead of leveraging their combined economic weight, African countries are pursuing fragmented bilateral agreements that leave them as junior partners and vulnerable to countries like China and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2026
The new ¡®scramble for Africa¡¯ risks becoming divide and conquer
The disunity persists despite Africa¡¯s enormous advantages, including a rapidly growing consumer market and dominant control of critical minerals essential to the global economy.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions during a budget committee session of the House of Representatives at Parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2026
Japan and U.S. to confirm cooperation on key minerals
The Japanese and U.S. governments are working to issue a joint document on the matter, informed sources said.
The U.S., Japan and the EU are preparing to announce plans to lay the groundwork for a critical minerals trade deal that could include a price floor and tariffs to counter market distortions by China.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2026
U.S. critical minerals talks advance with EU and Japan on price floor
Global efforts to diversify critical minerals supply chains intensified after Beijing last year imposed sweeping export controls, including on rare earths.
Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel, Chikyu, departs from Shimizu port, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Jan. 12 to conduct a test recovery of rare earth-rich mud near Minamitori Island.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Feb 27, 2026
What is Â鶹´«Ã½ potential for domestic rare earth mining?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s government aims to eventually mine and industrialize rare earths at home, but the timing, investment costs and viability of the project are unknown.
The Chikyu, the deep sea drilling vessel operated by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth-Science and Technology, has been on a mission to pull metal-bearing mud from the seabed.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 12, 2026
Japan steps up deep-sea mining plan to cut rare-earth dependence
An ambitious initiative to accelerate a decade-old plan has been given extra impetus by the country¡¯s drive to cut reliance on Chinese supply.
The Tanbreez rare earth minerals site near Narsarsuaq, Greenland. The United States has unveiled a critical-minerals partnership with Japan and the European Union.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 5, 2026
U.S., EU and Japan unveil critical-minerals partnership
Critical minerals include rare earth metals, which are key to the production of goods like smartphones, fighter jets and electric cars.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
Putin visits disputed Etorofu island off Hokkaido, sparking protest from Tokyo
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Yasny fish processing factory on Etorofu island, one of four islands in the contested chain known as the Kuril Islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, on Thursday.
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
Authorities urge continued caution after heavy rain in Chiba leaves eight dead
A local resident walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in a flooded area after heavy rain in the city of Oamishirasato, Chiba Prefecture, on Friday.
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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