#数字资产市场动态 Japan's rare earths trial mining at 6,000 meters underwater looks like a technological breakthrough, but in reality, it reflects a major country's resource anxiety.

Japan's dependence on imported rare earths exceeds 90%. The true purpose of this deep-sea mining attempt is to break this passive situation. But the problem is: deep-sea mining costs are over ten times higher than land-based mining. The current trial has only extracted kilogram-level rare earth oxides, and it will take more than 10 years to reach commercial production.

What's more painful is that 90% of the world's rare earth separation and refining technology is controlled by a few countries. Even if you dig up the ore, the subsequent smelting and processing stages are still subject to others.

Adding to the challenge is environmental protection—disturbing deep-sea sediments could cause ecological damage, which has already attracted opposition from multiple countries. In the short term, this trial mining is more of a strategic signal and is unlikely to truly change the global rare earth landscape; in the long term, overcoming technological barriers, cost pressures, and environmental restrictions are all necessary, and success remains uncertain. Deep-sea mining is destined to be a long journey.