Japan Rushes to Stockpile Rare Earths Amid China Export Fears

Japanese companies are urgently stockpiling rare earth minerals. This comes as Tokyo raises a major alarm over China's potential to restrict exports. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals critical for making high-tech products. These include electric vehicles, military hardware, and smartphones. China currently dominates global supply. Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing are rising. Japan now fears its supply could be cut off as a political weapon. This is despite China's public assurances that normal trade will continue. The concern is so high that Japan brought the issue to a Group of Seven (G7) meeting this week. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama attended the G7 finance ministers' gathering in Washington. She stated she did so with the "risk of a rare-earth-supply interruption from China in mind." Industry experts report Japanese firms are actively building reserves. The goal is to create a buffer against any sudden Chinese export controls.