An article by Matsumoto Fellow Takahiro Kamisuna (IISS, London) has been published in IISS Strategic Comments. Strategic Comments is an IISS publication that provides concise, timely analysis of key developments in international security, geopolitics and geoeconomics.

In the article, “Japan’s Critical-Minerals Strategy,” Kamisuna examines how Japan is responding to China’s use of its dominance in critical-mineral production as a tool of economic coercion, from the 2010 rare-earth export curbs to this year’s ban on exports of dual-use items to Japan. The article analyses Japan’s continued dependence on China for processed materials such as rare earths, lithium and graphite, and outlines Tokyo’s efforts to reduce this vulnerability: developing seabed rare-earth resources near Minami-Torishima, deepening cooperation with the United States, Australia and Europe, and strengthening its midstream and downstream manufacturing base. It also discusses Japan’s growing emphasis on cooperation with the Global South under the updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision.

The article is available on the IISS website (subscription required):
Japan’s critical-minerals strategy