Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu is anchored at a pier of the Shimizu port in Shizuoka prefecture on September 11, 2013. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP
Sediment containing rare earth was retrieved from ocean depths of 6,000 meters on a Japanese test mission, the government said on Monday, February 2, as it seeks to curb dependence on China for the valuable minerals.
Japan says the mission was the world's first bid to tap deep sea rare earths at such a depth.
"Details will be analyzed, including exactly how much rare earth is contained" in the sample, government spokesman Kei Sato said, calling it "a meaningful achievement both in terms of economic security and comprehensive maritime development."
The sample was collected by a deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu that set sail last month for the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific, where surrounding waters are believed to contain a rich trove of valuable minerals.
