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July 12, 2026
 

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RARE EARTHS

Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province. China dominates the global market for rare earths and it is using those supplies as a diplomatic cudgel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2026
Corporate Japan’s rare-earth warnings get louder as China keeps spigot closed
As the economy strengthens, an unprecedented increase in company notices about critical ​minerals is flashing a warning signal for the quarters ahead.
Two Japanese nationals detained in the Chinese city of Dalian in May were arrested in mid- and late June, respectively, Japanese government officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2026
China arrests two Japanese nationals held in Dalian
The two, both Fuji Electric group employees, are believed to have violated China’s law governing rare earth exports.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders gather during the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2026
China’s export controls target Japan to split the Group of Seven
Why Japan and why now? Tokyo raised the first question itself: Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara protested that controls singling out Japan depart from international practice.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2026
Two Japanese held in China for allegedly smuggling export-restricted goods
The goods the two are alleged to have smuggled were rare-earth related products, media reports said.
Samples of rare earth luminescent materials displayed at an exhibition on China’s manufacturing achievements at the National Museum in Beijing in March
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 24, 2026
China’s mineral squeeze testing Japan’s military buildup
The restrictions are exposing vulnerabilities in Japan’s defense-industrial supply chains while also providing the clearest test yet of Tokyo’s push to bolster economic security.
China’s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2026
China targets U.S. rare earths firms in response to Pentagon list
China’s designation prohibits these U.S. companies from access to items that can be used for both commercial and military purposes.
A sample of dysprosium oxide.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2026
China’s key minerals exports to Japan stay at low levels in May
Exports of some key types of tungsten, as well as rare-earths dysprosium and terbium, stayed at zero in May, according to Chinese customs data.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, France, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2026
In G7 debut, Takaichi puts economic security at heart of Japanese diplomacy
The prime minister’s clearest imprint came in the area of critical minerals, where bloc leaders agreed to step up cooperation on supply-chain resilience and stockpiling.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends her first Group of Seven summit on Monday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Takaichi proposes G7 framework for stockpiling critical minerals
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pitched a plan for coordinating critical mineral stockpiles among the group and like-minded nations, amid China’s tight grip on key supply chains.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington on Feb. 4.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 15, 2026
Trump’s mineral pricing plan faces skeptical G7 and divided industry
Negotiations for a Western trading bloc are stumbling over concerns about the plan’s cost and governance.
British leader Keir Starmer (left) and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend a business round table meeting at No. 10 Downing St. in London on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Takaichi and Starmer use talks to push Japan-U.K. ties toward ‘quasi-alliance’
The two leaders also pledged more support for an embattled next-generation fighter jet project involving their countries and Italy.
Rare earths have emerged as a flash point in trade relations in recent years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2026
Shin-Etsu plans new rare-earth refinery to secure supply
The plant will be the company’s third in Fukui Prefecture and will help “to ensure a stable supply of rare-earth-related products and magnets,” a spokesperson for the firm said.
Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, speaks in an online interview on May 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 3, 2026
Former Canadian diplomat detained in China says Japan needs to help constrain Beijing
Countries like Japan, South Korea and Australia cannot counter China on their own, but with the U.S. and India, they could constrain Beijing’s influence, Michael Kovrig says.
A truck carrying rare earths travels toward Lynas Corp's Mount Weld processing plant, northeast of Perth, in Western Australia.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2026
A warning to critical mineral buyers: avoid butter mountains and aluminum floods
In the 1980s and 1990s, subsidies, cheap energy and price guarantees fueled overproduction of various products which flooded markets, tanked prices and spread pain globally.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa attends Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meetings in the ‌eastern Chinese city ‌of Suzhou on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 24, 2026
Japan trade minister holds brief talks with Chinese counterpart amid diplomatic row
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa is the most senior ​Japanese official to visit China since a diplomatic dispute between the two countries erupted in November.
Since ‌December, Chinese ‌exports of rare earth minerals like dysprosium, terbium and yttrium oxide, as ​well as specialty metal gallium, to Japan have stopped except for a few tiny shipments of yttrium, Chinese customs data shows.
JAPAN
May 23, 2026
China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown
The halt to exports ⁠began shortly after a diplomatic row over Taiwan erupted in November.
The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia.
WORLD
May 15, 2026
Pentagon’s ‘deal team six’ aims to challenge China’s grip on rare earth power
A new Pentagon unit is racing to break China’s grip on rare earths with billions in financing and creative dealmaking, marking a far more aggressive U.S. industrial policy shift.
“Areas connected to southern China such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be potential regions that the company will look into,” said Sojitz Chief Financial Officer Makoto Shibuya.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Japan’s Sojitz eyes Southeast Asia for new rare earths supply
The company will also consider India and other countries if suitable rare earths investment opportunities exist there.
A screen shows news footage of the bilateral meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, at a restaurant in Shenzhen, China, on Oct. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 11, 2026
Trump and China’s Xi set for talks spanning Iran, nuclear, trade and AI
The two sides are expected to agree to forums to facilitate mutual trade and investment, but many details are still to be discussed.
Samples of rare earth-bearing mud extracted from the seabed around Minamitorishima island in February are examined.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 7, 2026
Japan tackles challenges of seafloor rare earth mining, eyeing economic security
In February, Japan succeeded in a test collection of rare earth-bearing mud from a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level near the remote Japanese island of Minamitorishima.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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