Japan"s deep-sea drilling vessel Photo: Screenshot of a TBS report

　　Japan is set to launch the world"s first experimental extraction of so-called "rare earth mud" within its exclusive economic zone on Sunday, according to multiple Japanese media reports. The Japanese side has attempted to portray the move as a first step toward industrializing domestically sourced rare earths, but experts in both Japan and China have cast doubt on its commercial viability.

　　A Chinese expert pointed out that formidable technical barriers, prohibitive costs, an uncertain path from pilot tests to large-scale production, and escalating geopolitical risks are likely to add to difficulties to Japan"s bid to find alternative rare earth sources, adding that Tokyo"s increasingly erroneous positions on China-related issues could further intensify supply strains and economic pressures.

　　The mission, under the SIP Ocean program, will use a deep-sea drilling vessel to test deep-sea mining operations, lowering equipment to about 6,000 meters below the surface in waters near within Japan"s exclusive economic zone and confirming that the system functions as intended on the seabed, according to a press release by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) issued in December last year.

　　According to the release, the trial is scheduled to run from Sunday to February 14, 2026, and is the world"s first such experiment conducted at a depth of around 6,000 meters. However, Nikkei.com reported on Friday that the departure had been postponed to the morning of Monday due to weather conditions and other factors.