The United States and Japan said on Thursday that secure, resilient and diversified critical mineral supply chains are essential to both countries, and that responsible seabed mineral development can help diversify supplies, in a joint statement issued during a visit to Japan by a US interagency delegation. The two governments welcomed progress under their March 2026 memorandum of cooperation, including the working group’s second meeting in Toyama on November 11 and 12, which discussed Japan’s rare earth mud project near Minamitorishima Island and its polymetallic nodules project. Their nine priorities include fostering trusted industry partnerships across the seabed supply chain, securing processing capacity among trusted partners, sharing exploration and environmental assessment practices, coordinating research vessels and autonomous underwater vehicles, and promoting clear and predictable regulation to draw private investment.
US and Japan set seabed minerals cooperation priorities
The United States and Japan released a joint statement on Thursday setting nine priorities for seabed mineral development, after a working group meeting in Toyama on November 11 and 12 that covered Japan's rare earth mud project near Minamitorishima Island and its polymetallic nodules project.
Why it matters: Seabed minerals are one of the few new sources either country can develop outside China's critical minerals supply chain, and the statement moves the cooperation from framework language toward industry partnerships, processing capacity and streamlined regulation for private investment.
Data as of Joint statement released by the Governments of the United States of America and Japan, US Department of State media note of November 12, 2026, read in full via the estate browser route. The statement gives no funding amounts, tonnages or deadlines. Developing item.
Sources
- Joint Statement on U.S.-Japan Seabed Mineral Resource Development - US Department of State, Office of the Spokesman - 2026-11-12