Rare earths extracted near a remote island earlier this month could someday provide Japan with a domestic source of the metals as it seeks to cut its reliance on China, but how soon can it be done, and to what extent? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/27/japan/politics/rare-earths-political-attention/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #rareearths #minerals #china #trade