China Bans Rare Earth Sales To Japan; Japan Starts Serious Recycling : TreeHugger
Alex previously wrote about concerns as China Tightens Grasp on Rare Earth Metals Vital for Green Technologies; now we are seeing it in action. After a dispute over a collision between the Japanese Coast Guard and a Chinese fishing boat on September 7, the Chinese cut off exports of rare earths to Japan. The dispute was settled yesterday, but the repercussions are many. One Japanese response: start recycling and mining the dumps.
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The recycling is a good idea. Japan should have been doing this even before China cut off supplies.
Besides the recycling, Japan is in negotiations with Mongolia to get rare-earth metals from them. This again will cause frictions between China and Japan.