en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan plans to initiate a survey of rare earth and critical minerals in Greenland, a territory of Denmark, this summer, aiming to diversify its supply channels for mineral resources.
The survey team will consist of representatives from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, trading companies, and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security. The team is expected to hold talks with local officials in Greenland this summer to assess the scale of mineral deposits, explore potential mining sites, and study extraction costs. In November 2025, a Japanese public-private joint mission visited a feldspar mine in Greenland and, after confirming commercial viability in extreme cold conditions, decided to dispatch geological experts this summer.
Rare earths are critical raw materials for electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, and defense equipment. Greenland has drawn attention for its untapped mineral resources and strategic Arctic location. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the island holds approximately 1.5 million tons of rare earth reserves, ranking eighth globally. Experts note that harsh local climate and fragile ecosystems make extraction extremely challenging; however, rising temperatures and melting ice may reduce these difficulties over time.
Japan relies heavily on imports for rare earths. Recently, China's exports of certain rare earth products to Japan have significantly declined. Japan has expanded its "mineral prospecting" efforts to Central Asia, Australia, Africa, and the seabed. Earlier this year, Japan began trial seabed rare earth mining off Minamitorishima Island, but analysts say deep-sea mining still faces technical and cost hurdles.
Cai Liang, director of the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, stated that Japan is compensating for its resource deficiencies through global "prospecting" and supplier diversification, aiming to mitigate the impact of China's export controls. At the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Japan proposed multiple initiatives on rare earth and critical mineral supply chain security, seeking to transform its resource anxiety into a shared agenda. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called for establishing a joint critical mineral reserve mechanism, setting minimum reserve standards, and building a coordinated dispatch platform. Currently, Greenland has not yet begun critical mineral mining operations, with U.S. and European companies still in the preparatory phase; Japan hopes to collaborate with the U.S. and Europe on technology and transportation, building a supply chain involving so-called "like-minded" nations.
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