A Japanese deep-sea mining ship has embarked on a mission to conduct the world's first ever extraction of "rare earth mud" from the ocean floor.

According to Reuters, the Chikyu departed from Shimizu Port in Shizuoka, Japan, on January 12, and is on its way to a coral atoll roughly 1,200 miles southeast of Tokyo. The drilling vessel is backed by Japanese government funding, and will spend a month collecting rare earth sludge along a four-mile-deep seabed. The site targeted by the Chikyu is believed to be rich in elements that can be used in the production of electric vehicles, smartphones, military equipment and wind turbine generators.

Japan's need for alternative rare earth mineral sources outside of China has grown substantially in recent months, with China banning all dual-use item exports to Japan in early January, and restricting certain rare earth exports to Japanese companies days later. All this came in the wake of comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November 2025, when she said that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would threaten Japan's survival.

This marks the first attempt from Japan to mine rare earth elements domestically. However, environmental advocates have warned that deep-sea drilling could cause "irreversible harm" to ocean ecosystems, with 37 countries calling for a moratorium on the practice in July of 2025.