The White House announced that the United States and Japan signed yesterday, during President Donald Trump's visit to Tokyo, a framework agreement to 'secure supplies' of rare earth metals, at a time when China is imposing strict restrictions on its exports of these essential materials. This document, signed by the US President and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and published by the White House, provides for strengthening cooperation between the United States and Japan, and securing the necessary capital from both the public and private sectors to support the extraction and processing of these metals in both countries. According to a White House statement, the United States and Japan will 'work together to identify projects of common interest to address gaps in supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements, including derivative products such as permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical materials.' The statement added that the two countries 'intend to mobilize support from both the public and private sectors' to achieve these goals. This agreement comes shortly after China announced new restrictions on the export of technologies related to these rare earth metals, which has aroused the displeasure of the United States, Japan, and Europe. On October 9, China tightened restrictions on the export of these basic materials for modern industries and electric vehicles, as well as for the production of solar panels and even for the manufacture of missiles.
