Japan's rare-earth project succeeds in retrieving sample from seabed

Slurry from depth of 6 km near remote southern island to be analyzed for presence of key elements

Japan's Minamitorishima is located about 1,950 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. (Japan Meteorological Agency)

Nikkei staff writers

February 2, 2026 17:47 JST

TOKYO -- Japan's Cabinet Office and the country's national marine research institution announced on Monday that they had successfully retrieved mud believed to contain rare-earth elements from 6,000 meters beneath the Pacific Ocean near the remote island of Minamitorishima.